The purpose of this study is to examine how to encourage greater private sector’s participation in public cultural projects. With steadily decreasing public finances and increasing political participation by ordinary citizens, greater private sector participation has become necessary. In this context, this study examines the current state of private sector’s participation concerning the public cultural sector, and proposes public policy measures expected to improve the efficiency of their participation.
The study’s main findings are summarized as follows:
First, private sector’s participation in various areas including public cultural projects has become more marked. In the past, private actors participated in public affairs through rather passive ways such as donating and volunteering. In contrast, recently, they participate in public affairs more actively by taking part in policy-making procedures and project-planning process.
Second, the inclination to participate is strong at both individual and corporate level. It is true, however, that lack of opportunities prevents potential participation. In most cases, it is the uncertainty of how donations are spent, and whether they are spent in a meaningful way, that discourages greater public participation.
Third, including the case of Seoul Metropolitan City, the cultural art sector in general is not well prepared to induce private sector’s participation. In most cases, it is still heavily reliant on the government assistance, or indirectly seeks out corporate sponsorship or support. This is why the policy measures to strategically induce private sector’s participation is needed.
The study’s proposals are as follows:
First, measures to enhance the value of arts and culture are needed. It is most important to appeal to the public by showing how valuable each individual’s participation or activities are. In this aspect, the value of arts and culture needs to be evaluated on a periodic basis, and an easy way for the public to know this value should be sought.
Second, many people and companies are not willing to contribute to the society by participating in simple cultural events. They desire to take part in more meaningful projects, such as social services, cultural heritage restoration, and community building. For this reason, the projects that encourage private sector’s participation in these areas should be designed.
Third, for more efficient project development, cooperation among related organizations such as the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, welfare foundations, and design foundations is required. By pursuing joint projects among these organizations, we can facilitate more efficient private sector participation.
Fourth, to promote private sector’s participation, it is necessary to reform the way cultural projects are implemented and the domain in which these projects are carried out. This kind of reform needs to be adopted in related organizations including the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture. In addition, the planning process of cultural projects need to be more open. Greater public participation in project planning will lead to greater citizen participation in project implementation.