The State Patronage of Arts in Emerging Economies

An extensive literature in the field of culture economics investigates the categorical question of whether government should support the arts. The existing studies, however, were mainly focused on the reality of developed countries, which may drastically differ from the reality of emerging economies. In this sense, this study aims at exploring if the arguments presented by the literature on state patronage of arts can apply to emerging economies. The research is based on the case study of Brazil, especially the Rouanet Law, which is currently the main source of subsidies for the arts in the country. As per this study, the conclusion is that most of the arguments for the public support of arts can be considered highly fragile when analysed under the context of emerging economies. Therefore, this work highlights some important elements to be considered for the formulation of public policies to the arts and culture in emerging economies, particularly corruption, education, infrastructure and inequality.