The Failures of Policy

Abstract

This chapter examines the purpose of cultural participation policies from the perspective of those who design and deliver them. It considers whether policymakers are open to the possibility of failure, both in terms of those whom they fund but also in relation to their own work and asks whether the context within which they work may support or hinder this openness. Finally, this chapter considers the types of failure that are acknowledged and how we can address learning from these failures that do occur. Throughout this chapter, we return to Creative People and Places as an example of policy in practice to illustrate key points in our analysis.