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This study investigates the importance of governmental culture departments compared to other departments. It explores factors such as censorship/manipulation, political significance, increasing intervention, and new department developments.
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ARE GOVERNMENTAL CULTURE DEPARTMENTS IMPORTANT?: An Empirical Investigation CLIVE GRAY & MELVIN WINGFIELD Department of Public Policy De Montfort University
IMPORTANCE OR IRRELEVANCE? • Censorship/manipulation • Lack of political significance • Increasing intervention • New Departments/Re-naming
COMPARATIVE IMPORTANCE • Not ‘absolute’ importance but • Importance in terms of other departments • Comparison across nation-states?
ANALYSIS • Quantitative – allow the answer to follow the data • Rank orderings • Qualitative – allow the answer to guide the data • Qualitative Comparative Analysis (Crisp-Set)
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS: I • Variables: • Expenditure Variation (1993/4-2006/7): financial importance for government • Departmental Age: functional importance for government • Cabinet Committee Membership (2009): political importance for government • Public Service Agreements (2008-11): implementation importance for government
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS: II • Legislation (1992-2008): Parliamentary importance for government • Press Coverage (1992-2005): Public importance for government • 13 Departments ranked • Culture, Media and Sport: 11th
QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS: I • Variables: • Policy sector significance: manifesto coverage 1992-2005 • Functional centrality: central staff compared to total staff • Departmental remit: clear/diffuse policy focus • Ministerial career trajectory: pinnacles or stepping-stones?
QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS: II • Specified outcome: departmental significance • What contributes to this outcome? • Either: sector significance and centrality and career trajectory • Or: sector significance and career trajectory andabsence of definition • Or: clear definition and career trajectory and absence of sector significance and centrality
CONCLUSIONS • For Britain – • The Culture Department is not important for government when compared with other departments, either quantitatively or qualitatively • Is this true for other countries? • How about a comparative study?