Culture Shock: COVID-19 and the Cultural and Creative Sectors

"In the absence of responsive public support and recovery strategies, the downsizing of cultural and creative sectors will have a negative impact on cities and regions in terms of jobs and revenues, levels of innovation, citizen well-being and the vibrancy and diversity of communities."

During COVID-19 lockdowns, music, art, literature, and film served as a lifeline to the outside world for many people around the world. Beyond individual well-being, cultural amenities are often at the heart of urban regeneration strategies. Cultural institutions partner with schools, hospitals, prisons, and job centres to support inclusion, and are venues for educational intercultural exchange. However, the cultural and creative sectors (CCS), which are largely composed of micro-firms, non-profit organisations, and creative professionals, are among the most affected by COVID-19 realities, such as social distancing measures. This report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) explores policies that can leverage the economic and social impacts of culture in pandemic recovery packages.

The report explores the short- and long-term impacts of COVID-19 on CCS. Above and beyond the immediate impacts on jobs and revenues, the impoverishment and downsizing of CCS could have negative, long-lasting economic and social impacts. For instance, around 90% of museums globally (more than 85,000 institutions worldwide) temporarily closed during the crisis, and the remaining 10% might never reopen due to economic hardship. The lockdown measures led to an abrupt withdrawal of museums from local development projects and the cancellation of cultural, social inclusion, well-being, and educational programmes, only partially replaced by new digital offers. For instance, museum exhibitions and activities often touch on complex themes such as inter-cultural dialogue or the integration of minorities and migrants, which may be more difficult to implement digitally.

As the report outlines, building on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on both the education sector and CCS, strategic complementarities can be developed. Both sectors can take advantage of digitalisation and emerging technologies, such as virtual and augmented realities, which bring new opportunities to keep people connected and engaged. Lockdowns boosted the development of new, digitally-based educational platforms and an acceleration of Ed-Tech innovation; this is likely going to be a permanent change, OECD predicts. Collaborations between CCS and the educational sector can foster the development not only of new forms of digital "edutainment" (for instance, in the field of serious educational games), but also of new platform concepts and formats that integrate various elements of (possibly gamified) interactive learning, group exchange and co-creation of content, advanced digital curation of educational and cultural content, and so on. The "serious gaming" industry might consequently become a partner for government, schools and tech companies, among others.

OECD stresses that digitalisation and emerging technologies also risk exacerbating inequalities without accompanying measures. Such accompanying measures include, for example, the development of methodologies and technological solutions for distance learning with digitally mediated access to cultural resources and experiences. Also, there is a need to address digital skills shortages and improve digital access beyond large metropolitan areas.

Additional new strategic complementarities can be pursued between culture and policies to promote health and well-being. The lockdown has made evident the importance of culture for people's well-being and mental health. As identified in a World Health Organization (WHO) report analysing results from over 3,000 studies, arts play a role in the prevention of ill health, promotion of health, and the management and treatment of illness across the lifespan. For example, the documented effectiveness of arts and culture participation in improving the health and well-being of the elderly could become a pillar for a new active ageing approach. In addition, arts and culture participation has been shown to help improve the neuro-cognitive and affective development in children. These complementarities could lead to the emergence of new professions and profiles in the cultural sector.

The report outlines various national and sub-national policy responses, as well as measures by private, non-profit, and philanthropic organisations to support CCS. Some national and regional governments have adopted initiatives to raise awareness about the importance of arts and culture in civil society. For instance, the Greek Ministry of Culture has implemented a plan to support digital culture initiatives that can stimulate and strengthen the cultural sector and its professions, as well as finance the creation of new digital content. Other initiatives provide incentives for the creation of digital artwork, digital infrastructure, or the adoption of online platforms to promote culture and reach a broader public. Examples include support by Greece and New Zealand for cross-sector partnerships to promote the activities of the cultural sector, with a focus on the export of digital artwork and cultural and creative services.

Going forward, it is recommended that CCS and cultural participation be considered a driver of social impact in their own right and throughout the economy. In many cities and regions, specialisations in the CCS are being used to tackle competitive and societal challenges from new angles, favouring resilience, skills creation, and prosocial behavioural changes. In the recovery, there are opportunities, for example, to capitalise on the role of culture to help raise awareness about the complex challenges of climate change. It does so by offering emotionally impactful narratives and by fostering a more responsible and empathic approach to nature, supporting the emergence of integrated nature-culture approaches. The contribution of culture can also be important in other areas of local development, from rebuilding public trust to contributing to post-pandemic urban design adapted to social distancing rules.

In conclusion: "Despite the increased awareness of the role of culture and creativity for (local) development, much can still be done to improve and mainstream across policy areas. A better understanding of how exactly culture and regional innovation, job creation, entrepreneurship and well-being interact and reinforce each other is needed....National post-COVID-19 recovery task forces, even in countries with a large endowment in cultural heritage or international prominence in specific creative sub-sectors, have not fully recognised the power of culture for the recovery. Robust data and evidence can raise awareness of the value of culture and creative sectors among policymakers, citizens, education and training providers, other firms in the value chain, and public and private investors."

Editor's note: You may also be interested in the below video from an April 17 2020 webinar on "Coronavirus (COVID-19) and cultural and creative sectors: impact, policy responses and opportunities to rebound after the crisis", hosted by OECD in collaboration with the European Creative Business Network (ECBN). It gathered CCS representatives and local and national governments to review: the short- and long-term impacts of the current crisis on CCS; the solutions being developed by CCS across countries; and the policy supports put in place by national and local governments to alleviate the short- and long-term effects of the crisis on CCS.