Instructions

Background – the origins of cultural policy
Modern cultural policy has undergone a long development process. Many Swedish cultural institutions can trace their origins back hundreds of years. At various times throughout the 20th century, central government has taken up positions on cultural policy which are still relevant today, but it was first in the 1974–76 period that what a modern observer would regard as a coherent cultural policy first saw the light, in the shape of three cultural policy bills and their subsequent debate in the Riksdag (particularly Govt. Bill 1974:28, Report 1974:KrU15, Parliamentary communication 1974:248).

The basis of 1974 cultural policy was a number of special overall objectives adopted by the Riksdag. These were to guide central government activities and guide and drive policy in county councils and municipalities.

The policy was based on a broad review of the various aspects of cultural policy. Great importance was attached to what was known as ‘free collective creation’, and the activities of adult education associations. The National Council for Cultural Affairs was created as a new administrative authority in the field of culture, and grants to independent cultural events not connected to the public institutions were boosted. Centrally placed government cultural institutions did not undergo much change at this point; the biggest change was the creation of regional cultural institutions for theatre, music and museums. These were to be arenas for cooperation between central government and county councils. County Administrative Boards were given a new role in regional conservation work, now known as cultural environment work.

The direction acquired by cultural policy in 1974 remained unchanged in all important aspects for two decades. An review was carried out in the 1990s and presented in the report Tjugo års kulturpolitik (Twenty Years of Cultural Policy) (SOU 1995:85), and there was an overview by a parliamentary committee known as the Culture Committee which presented its findings as Kulturpolitikens inriktning (The Direction of Cultural Policy) (SOU 1995:84). These findings were the basis of a new Government Bill on the long-term direction of cultural policy, (Govt. Bill 1996/97:3). After debate in the Riksdag, new national cultural policy objectives were adopted (Report 1996/97:KrU1, Parliamentary communication 1996/97:129). They did not mark any great departure from the previous objectives, but did emphasise issues such as the value of cultural diversity. The preservation and use of cultural heritage also appeared among the objectives, and this has left its mark in the increasingly prominent role of museums in cultural policy debate. The importance of literature and reading were emphasised in the bill, as were the conditions under which artists work. A Library Act was introduced. There have been no major changes in the direction of policy since then.