Summary

The purpose of this literature review is to analyse how the Nordic countries through their cultural policies perceive the role of arts and culture in societal development. The purpose is also to analyse how research within different disciplines assesses the benefits and impact of arts and culture within different societal domains. The review is based on research that has examined the Nordic countries’ cultural policies and the societal impact of art and culture. The results of the literature review are summarised below.

The importance of arts and culture for various aspects of societal development has been stressed for a long time in the Nordic countries’ cultural policies. However, arts and culture in the Nordic countries have, over time, been attributed different societal roles. These different roles can be summarised by the following points:

The societal importance that has been attributed to arts and culture has developed over time, and in most Nordic countries, this theme goes back centuries. It is not that different roles have replaced each other. Rather, it is a matter of different societal roles being layered onto each other, as well as adjusted and further specified. However, there has been a long-term trend throughout the Nordics implying that arts and culture, have come to be regarded as something that can contribute to society's development in a broad sense. For example, the benefits of arts and culture are today emphasised in relation to economic growth, regional development, democracy, social trust and cohesion, as well as in relation to public health and the environment. 

There is a considerable amount of research producing a positive image of how arts and culture influence various aspects of society’s development. The literature review summarises this research in three areas: 1) The benefits of arts and culture for economic development, 2) the benefits of arts and culture for democracy and sustainable development, and 3) the benefits of arts and culture for human health and well-being.

The cultural sector, and hence investments in it, are in many studies assessed as contributing to economic development at the national as well as regional and local level. In relation to public investments in the field of culture, it is emphasised that cultural activities contribute to job creation, which in turn generates economic activity and tax revenues. The research also points out that cultural activities generate income on their own and contribute to the tourism development of cities, regions or countries, which leads to economic activity in different economic sectors. The cultural sector is also considered a contributor to innovation, knowledge development and development within creative industries and ultimately also other economic sectors. For specific places (such as cities and regions), a rich cultural life is assessed as attracting, among other things, business establishments and a highly educated workforce.

The research particularly highlights the ability of arts and culture to contribute to inclusion, social trust and social cohesion, as well as bridge social and cultural differences in society. Studies generally point out that arts and culture offer people opportunity for expression, reflection and critical thinking, which are seen as important aspects of a functioning democracy. Cultural participation is also linked to the propensity to participate in voluntary work and general elections. The research further assesses that arts and culture have the potential to contribute to positive attitudinal and behavioural changes, for example, in relation to environmental issues, intercultural tolerance and criminal tendencies.

Arts and culture are assessed as contributing to increased well-being and life satisfaction, and countering problems with mental illness. In relation to mental illness, there are studies highlighting that arts and culture can be important elements of therapeutic treatment. Arts and culture are also considered capable of promoting healthy living, for example, by spreading knowledge about nutrition and the effects of drug use in artistic content. Furthermore, there are studies that indicate that arts and culture (e.g., listening to music) can contribute to symptom relief in cases of illness and reduce the side effects of medical treatment. There is also research showing that art and culture (e.g., dance) can have a positive impact on the course of an illness, such as Parkinson's disease.

In other parts of the research the assessment that arts and culture have major benefits and positive impacts on individuals and society is criticised and problematised. The criticism differs somewhat depending on whether it concerns economic, political, social or health factors. In general, however, many studies are criticised for method and research design flaws, in addition to their failure to clarify any cause-and-effect relationships regarding the connection between arts, culture and different types of impacts and benefits. Studies are also criticised for not considering or calculating what an alternative use of public funds invested in arts and culture could generate in terms of, for instance, economic effects.

Furthermore, many studies are called into question for reporting a kind of benefit and impact that is difficult to verify, since it is foremost based on people's subjective experiences. According to critics, these experiences should be regarded as short-term results rather than long-term change (this critique applies primarily to studies in health, democracy and sustainable development). A common criticism is that the positive impact is exaggerated and overinterpreted. These overinterpretations are then judged to be propagated at the policy level, where an overly simplified picture of the positive impact of arts and culture has been established.

In general, but especially in medical research, there are accusations of publication bias, where results that demonstrate a negative impact or zero impact are published and discussed to a lesser extent. Several research studies highlight that there are examples of arts and culture that have negative impact on the economy, democracy, social cohesion, the environment and health, but these are not considered as having received due attention within cultural policy.

To summarise, the critics believe that a simplified view of the benefits of arts and culture in various areas of society has been established. This entails the risk that arts and culture are being regarded as more beneficiary to various social challenges than is actually the case, which may lead to flawed policies.

A different type of criticism is that the focus on the benefit and impact of arts and culture in other sectors of society can have negative consequences for cultural and artistic development. Here, researchers point to the risk of a shift towards art and culture being valued based on their contributions to goals in other sectors of society, instead of being valued based on aesthetic and artistic values ​​and qualities. This development is also problematised in special relation to the autonomy of people working as artists and in cultural professions.

Based on the work in the literature review, Kulturanalys Norden sees it as important for cultural policy in the Nordic countries to further clarify their approach to the objectives of other policy areas. This applies, for example, to when expectations for arts and culture are justified, or unjustified, as contributing to a specific societal benefit. Considerations in this area should be related to the core values ​of cultural policy, which are essentially about everyone's opportunity to participate in cultural life and the autonomy and freedom of arts and culture.

In terms of further knowledge needs, it is a continuing challenge for research to clarify clear cause-and-effect relationships regarding the benefits of art and culture in various areas of society. An important lesson learned from the work on this literature review is that research on the benefit and impact of culture is both extensive and partly difficult to overview. There are therefore good reasons to compile additional literature reviews that summarise and delve into different parts of research within the theme of the societal role and impact of arts and culture.