Public Spending on the Arts

Question A:

Overall, public spending on the arts in Europe creates benefits that exceed the deadweight loss caused by taxation to fund it.

Responses weighted by each expert's confidence

Question B:

Additional public spending on the arts in Europe would create incremental benefits that exceed the deadweight loss caused by taxation to fund it.

Responses weighted by each expert's confidence

Question A Participant Responses

Participant University Vote Confidence Bio/Vote History
Allen
Franklin Allen
Imperial College London
Uncertain
3
Bio/Vote History
It's difficult issue involving both funding of public goods and inequality issues.
Antras
Pol Antras
Harvard
Agree
6
Bio/Vote History
Besley
Timothy J. Besley
LSE Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Blanchard
Olivier Blanchard
Peterson Institute
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Entirely an empirical matter and I do not know the facts.
Bloom
Nicholas Bloom
Stanford
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
I worry about inequality - the consumers of the arts tend to be wealthier and more educated.
Blundell
Richard William Blundell
University College London Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Bénassy-Quéré
Agnès Bénassy-Quéré
Paris School of Economics
Agree
5
Bio/Vote History
Carletti
Elena Carletti
Bocconi Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Danthine
Jean-Pierre Danthine
Paris School of Economics
Agree
5
Bio/Vote History
De Grauwe
Paul De Grauwe
LSE Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Eeckhout
Jan Eeckhout
UPF Barcelona
Uncertain
7
Bio/Vote History
Fehr
Ernst Fehr
Universität Zurich Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Freixas
Xavier Freixas
Barcelona GSE Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Fuchs-Schündeln
Nicola Fuchs-Schündeln
Goethe-Universität Frankfurt
Uncertain
3
Bio/Vote History
Galí
Jordi Galí
Barcelona GSE
Agree
5
Bio/Vote History
Garicano
Luis Garicano
LSE Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Giavazzi
Francesco Giavazzi
Bocconi
Agree
5
Bio/Vote History
Griffith
Rachel Griffith
University of Manchester
Agree
6
Bio/Vote History
Difficult to measure benefits from the arts, but my sense is that there are large social benefits of free museums etc.
Guerrieri
Veronica Guerrieri
Chicago Booth
Uncertain
2
Bio/Vote History
Guiso
Luigi Guiso
Einaudi Institute for Economics and Finance
Strongly Agree
9
Bio/Vote History
Europe has an immense endowment that creates lots if spillovers, but needs maintenance.
Honohan
Patrick Honohan
Trinity College Dublin
Agree
1
Bio/Vote History
Javorcik
Beata Javorcik
University of Oxford
Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
Kleven
Henrik Kleven
Princeton Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Krahnen
Jan Pieter Krahnen
Goethe University Frankfurt
Agree
5
Bio/Vote History
Clearly, the statement is subject to decreasing marginal returns, so the optimal amount of spending is finite.
Krusell
Per Krusell
Stockholm University
Agree
4
Bio/Vote History
I'm no expert on this but I think there are good reasons for some amount of support of the arts.
Kőszegi
Botond Kőszegi
Central European University
Disagree
3
Bio/Vote History
La Ferrara
Eliana La Ferrara
Harvard Kennedy Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Leuz
Christian Leuz
Chicago Booth
Uncertain
4
Bio/Vote History
Often public good arg & WTP thru taxes can be high, but pos external & dw loss hard to measure. Complicated distributional& pol. econ consid
-see background information here
-see background information here
Mayer
Thierry Mayer
Sciences-Po Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Meghir
Costas Meghir
Yale Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Neary
Peter Neary
Oxford
Agree
4
Bio/Vote History
This is a value judgement not a statement about efficiency. Cost issues and equity in access should be taken into account too.
O'Rourke
Kevin O'Rourke
Oxford
Strongly Agree
10
Bio/Vote History
Pagano
Marco Pagano
Università di Napoli Federico II
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History
Pastor
Lubos Pastor
Chicago Booth
Uncertain
3
Bio/Vote History
Persson
Torsten Persson
Stockholm University Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Pissarides
Christopher Pissarides
London School of Economics and Political Science
Strongly Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
The non-monetary benefits in Europeans' preference functions far exceed any dead weight costs
Portes
Richard Portes
London Business School
Strongly Agree
10
Bio/Vote History
I am President of a small foundation that gives to the arts. I know what that funding means.
Prendergast
Canice Prendergast
Chicago Booth
Agree
9
Bio/Vote History
Reichlin
Lucrezia Reichlin
London Business School
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History
Repullo
Rafael Repullo
CEMFI
Strongly Agree
6
Bio/Vote History
Rey
Hélène Rey
London Business School Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Schoar
Antoinette Schoar
MIT
Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
Sturm
Daniel Sturm
London School of Economics
Agree
5
Bio/Vote History
Van Reenen
John Van Reenen
LSE
Agree
6
Bio/Vote History
Vickers
John Vickers
Oxford
Strongly Agree
4
Bio/Vote History
Voth
Hans-Joachim Voth
University of Zurich
Strongly Agree
9
Bio/Vote History
Weder di Mauro
Beatrice Weder di Mauro
The Graduate Institute, Geneva Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Whelan
Karl Whelan
University College Dublin
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
Wyplosz
Charles Wyplosz
The Graduate Institute Geneva
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Zilibotti
Fabrizio Zilibotti
Yale University
Agree
4
Bio/Vote History

Question B Participant Responses

Participant University Vote Confidence Bio/Vote History
Allen
Franklin Allen
Imperial College London
Uncertain
4
Bio/Vote History
Ascertaining the optimal level is again very difficult.
Antras
Pol Antras
Harvard
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
I am not sure about whether additional spending is needed, or whether taxes should be lowered, but net subsidies seem low.
Besley
Timothy J. Besley
LSE Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Blanchard
Olivier Blanchard
Peterson Institute
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Bloom
Nicholas Bloom
Stanford
Disagree
5
Bio/Vote History
Blundell
Richard William Blundell
University College London Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Bénassy-Quéré
Agnès Bénassy-Quéré
Paris School of Economics
Disagree
5
Bio/Vote History
Carletti
Elena Carletti
Bocconi Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Danthine
Jean-Pierre Danthine
Paris School of Economics
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
De Grauwe
Paul De Grauwe
LSE Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Eeckhout
Jan Eeckhout
UPF Barcelona
Uncertain
7
Bio/Vote History
Fehr
Ernst Fehr
Universität Zurich Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Freixas
Xavier Freixas
Barcelona GSE Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Fuchs-Schündeln
Nicola Fuchs-Schündeln
Goethe-Universität Frankfurt
Uncertain
3
Bio/Vote History
Galí
Jordi Galí
Barcelona GSE
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
Garicano
Luis Garicano
LSE Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Giavazzi
Francesco Giavazzi
Bocconi
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
Griffith
Rachel Griffith
University of Manchester
Uncertain
4
Bio/Vote History
Difficult to answer for Europe as a whole, big differences in size of state and funding of arts across Europe
Guerrieri
Veronica Guerrieri
Chicago Booth
Uncertain
2
Bio/Vote History
Guiso
Luigi Guiso
Einaudi Institute for Economics and Finance
Strongly Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
Honohan
Patrick Honohan
Trinity College Dublin
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Javorcik
Beata Javorcik
University of Oxford
Agree
6
Bio/Vote History
Kleven
Henrik Kleven
Princeton Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Krahnen
Jan Pieter Krahnen
Goethe University Frankfurt
Uncertain
4
Bio/Vote History
Given the high level of public spending on the arts in Europe, we may have reached the point of negative marginal returns in some countries.
Krusell
Per Krusell
Stockholm University
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
I'm not aware of the current level of support. As I said, some public support is called for.
Kőszegi
Botond Kőszegi
Central European University
Disagree
4
Bio/Vote History
La Ferrara
Eliana La Ferrara
Harvard Kennedy Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Leuz
Christian Leuz
Chicago Booth
Uncertain
4
Bio/Vote History
Less likely than A, but still unclear. Some evidence that spending is opportunistic by politicians but also used to attract human capital.
-see background information here
-see background information here
-see background information here
Mayer
Thierry Mayer
Sciences-Po Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Meghir
Costas Meghir
Yale Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Neary
Peter Neary
Oxford
Uncertain
4
Bio/Vote History
O'Rourke
Kevin O'Rourke
Oxford
Agree
9
Bio/Vote History
Pagano
Marco Pagano
Università di Napoli Federico II
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History
Pastor
Lubos Pastor
Chicago Booth
Uncertain
3
Bio/Vote History
Persson
Torsten Persson
Stockholm University Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Pissarides
Christopher Pissarides
London School of Economics and Political Science
Strongly Agree
10
Bio/Vote History
Governments panic about the votes taxation loses them and spend too little on things like the arts
Portes
Richard Portes
London Business School
Strongly Agree
10
Bio/Vote History
Prendergast
Canice Prendergast
Chicago Booth
Agree
9
Bio/Vote History
Reichlin
Lucrezia Reichlin
London Business School
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History
Repullo
Rafael Repullo
CEMFI
Uncertain
4
Bio/Vote History
Rey
Hélène Rey
London Business School Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Schoar
Antoinette Schoar
MIT
Disagree
7
Bio/Vote History
Sturm
Daniel Sturm
London School of Economics
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
Van Reenen
John Van Reenen
LSE
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History
Vickers
John Vickers
Oxford
Uncertain
4
Bio/Vote History
Voth
Hans-Joachim Voth
University of Zurich
Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
Weder di Mauro
Beatrice Weder di Mauro
The Graduate Institute, Geneva Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Whelan
Karl Whelan
University College Dublin
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History
Wyplosz
Charles Wyplosz
The Graduate Institute Geneva
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Zilibotti
Fabrizio Zilibotti
Yale University
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History