‘The public gets what the public wants’? The uses and abuses of ‘public value’ in contemporary British cultural policy

Were New Labour’s cultural policies neo-liberal?

“…Though Holden resorted to the then fashionable but later somewhat discredited concept of public value to articulate policy pragmatics. See Lee et al (2011) for discussion of the concept of public value. 13.…”

Public values and administrative reforms in French health care

“…Reflecting societal choices, they often vary in times and places, ranging from short‐term concerns such as economic recovery to long‐term and broadly defined goals such as cultural development. That contextuality explains why certain policy ideas are transmitted, briefly flourish, and then dissipate (Lee et al , ). Because public values apply differently to each level of public programs, organizations, or the whole public sector, the best management approach depends on the circumstances, the values that are being sought, the context (a different hierarchy of public values at a smaller units of analysis can explain the decisions of public administrators) (Witesman & Walters, ), the level of the public sector to which it applies (Alford & Hughes, ), and the nature of the task (Alford & Owen, 2008) rather than a set of quick fixes or recipes as in the NPM model (Gruening, ).…”

Rethinking ‘knowledge exchange’: new approaches to collaborative work in the arts and humanities

“…This creative economy script also belies a tension between the idea of creative and cultural practices as being fundamentally linked to social good, at the same time as being an individualising and entrepreneurial force for self--management and economic opportunity (Peck 2005, Oakley 2011). The link to social wellbeing and inclusion (Matarraso 1997, ACE 2005, ACE 2006, derived from earlier Labour cultural policy, for example, was present throughout much creative policy but in actuality, the competitive, consumption led model of creativity has been more dominant (Lee et al 2011). The idea of creativity and consumption as being linked emerged in many arenas, not least urban development.…”