International Journal of Cultural Policy

International Journal of Cultural Policy
Title	International Journal of Cultural Policy
Discipline	Cultural policy; cultural studies
Abbreviation	Int. J. Cult. Policy
Publisher	Routledge
History	1994–present
Frequency	Quarterly
Issn	1028-6632

International Journal of Cultural Policy is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering cultural policy, cultural politics, and cultural management. It publishes research on arts funding, heritage, creative industries, and media policy by scholars and practitioners from across Europe, North America, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The journal sits at the intersection of debates linked to arts councils, UNESCO conventions, and municipal cultural strategies.

History

The journal was established in 1994 amid policy debates involving the Council of Europe, the European Union, and the rise of the creative industries agenda driven by actors such as the European Commission and national bodies like the Arts Council England. Early contributors included researchers associated with institutions such as the University of Leeds, the University of Glasgow, and the Australian National University, and it engaged with international processes including the UNESCO World Heritage Convention and the formulation of cultural rights instruments influenced by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s it reflected shifts prompted by events like the expansion of the European Union (2004) and the aftermath of the global financial crisis of 2007–2008, addressing topics resonant with agencies such as the British Council, the Ford Foundation, and the Open Society Foundations.

Scope and Aims

The journal focuses on policy formation, policy analysis, and critical perspectives relating to institutions like the Smithsonian Institution, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the National Endowment for the Arts. It examines regulatory frameworks such as the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, international agreements exemplified by the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, and policy instruments promoted by the World Bank and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Articles interrogate sectors including museums, galleries, film institutes like the British Film Institute, heritage bodies such as English Heritage, and festivals associated with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The journal aims to bridge scholarly inquiry produced at universities including Harvard University, University of California, Los Angeles, and Sorbonne University with practitioner debates in organizations such as UNESCO, the European Cultural Foundation, and municipal cultural offices in cities like Berlin, Paris, and New York City.

Editorial Information

The editorial board has featured scholars affiliated with centers such as the British Library, the Tate Modern Research Centre, and the Institute of Contemporary Arts. Editors-in-chief and editorial advisory members have had connections with universities including Goldsmiths, University of London, University of Oxford, University of Toronto, and University of Melbourne. The journal employs peer review processes common to publishers like Taylor & Francis Group and collaborates with professional associations such as the International Council on Museums (ICOM) and the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA). Special issue editors have included figures who work with funding bodies like the Rockefeller Foundation and research councils such as the Economic and Social Research Council.

Publication and Access

Published by Routledge, the journal follows a quarterly schedule and is available in print and online via platforms used by publishers including Taylor & Francis Online. Access is mediated through institutional subscriptions held by university libraries such as the British Library, the Library of Congress, and the National Library of Australia, as well as consortia like JSTOR and projects involving the Open Access movement. The journal has navigated debates over embargoes, article processing charges, and hybrid publishing models relevant to stakeholders including the Wellcome Trust and national research funders like the European Research Council.

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is indexed in major bibliographic and citation services similar to Web of Science, Scopus, and databases used by the Institute for Scientific Information. It appears in subject-specific indexes accessed by researchers at institutions like Columbia University, Yale University, and McGill University, and is discoverable through library catalogs maintained by entities such as the National Library of France and the German National Library.

Reception and Impact

Scholars from universities including King's College London, University of Amsterdam, and University of Cape Town have cited the journal in literature on cultural policy reforms associated with the Bologna Process and urban cultural strategies linked to events like the Olympic Games and the Venice Biennale. Policymakers at agencies such as the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the Canadian Heritage ministry, and municipal culture departments in cities such as Barcelona and Melbourne have drawn on findings published in the journal. Its impact is reflected in citations recorded in assessments conducted by bodies like the Higher Education Funding Council for England and evaluations used by the European Commission's cultural programme.

Notable Articles and Special Issues

Noteworthy contributions have addressed topics such as cultural diversity in the wake of instruments like the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005), the governance of cultural heritage after the Iraq War, and the politics of arts funding during austerity policies linked to responses after the global financial crisis of 2007–2008. Special issues have focused on themes involving the creative cities discourse exemplified by Richard Florida's influence, indigenous cultural rights associated with organizations like the Assembly of First Nations, and digital transformation affecting institutions such as the BBC and Netflix. Contributors have included researchers and practitioners affiliated with Princeton University, The New School, Kingston University, and think tanks like the Brookings Institution.

Category:Cultural policy journals