State Subsidies and Repertoire Conventionality in the Non-Profit English Theatre Sector: An Econometric Analysis

Authors: O’Hagan, John¹; Neligan, Adriana²

Source: Journal of Cultural Economics, Volume 29, Number 1, February 2005 , pp. 35-57(23)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

This paper examines the impact of financial and socio-economic factors on repertoire decisions of the grant-aided, non-profit theatre sector in England using cross-sectional regression analysis for the seasons 1996/97 to 1998/99. The dependent variable, a conventionality index, a variant of the DiMaggio/Stenberg conformity index, is calculated first. This shows a very considerable variation in repertoire conventionality, so measured, in the non-profit English theatre sector. A model is then constructed to assess the impact of the above-mentioned factors in determining variations in this index using a dataset hitherto not analysed in this way. The empirical results show that public subsidy, the size and the location of a theatre as well as the local average income have an impact on conventionality, which confirms existing empirical findings.

Keywords: conventionality; cultural economics; performing arts organisations; repertoire; subsidies

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10824-005-8132-y

Affiliations: 1: Department of Economics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, 2, Ireland, 2: Department of Economics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, 2, Ireland, Email: adriana_neligan@web.de

Publication date: 2005-02-01