This article argues that cultural explanations can help explain local policy choices. Drawing on the New Political Culture theory, the article combines three models of cultural change to explain the level of spending on cultural policies in Norwegian municipalities. In total, 430 municipalities are studied, and the results show that cultural change variables improve the understanding of local policy choices. The finding here indicates that some elements of the New Political Culture, like women's participation, seem to be able to travel without losing their content. However, to fully be able to comprehend the level of cultural change in the Nordic context, better measures are needed.

Culture, entertainment and amenities as urban and regional development policies have received much attention over the last decade. In the wake of recent work on the creative class, culture-led development policies have been applied in cities and regions across the Western world. This article uses quantitative data to examine whether these policies have gained the support of Scandinavian local and regional politicians and, if so, why and how. Drawing on policy diffusion and policy transfer theory, the article examines from where politicians are influenced. Can the sources of influence be characterized as (1) horizontal, (2) top-down or (3) bottom-up? The main finding is that the top-down perspective identifies significant national pressure on local and regional policy-makers, leading to the conclusion that regional and local policy-making in this policy area depends on national policies.

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