Action at the exhibit face: video and the analysis of social interaction in museums and galleries

ABSTRACT

Whilst we can observe a considerable increase in importance of arts and museum marketing, research of people’s engagement with art in exhibitions is relatively rare. This neglect of people’s action and interaction in exhibitions is somewhat surprising considering that it is in exhibitions where museums are in direct contact with their audience. This article begins with a review of the emergence of video-based research in the social sciences before turning to the use of video for the study of visitor behaviour in exhibitions. It contributes to recent debates on experiential and sensory marketing by examining three video-recorded fragments of interactions at exhibits in museums. The analysis of the fragments suggests that people’s experience of exhibits arises in social interaction with others. The article ends with a discussion of the theoretical and methodological contribution of video-based research in museums and of implications of such research for those involved in the management and design of museums and other experiential environments.     

Did Gladstone make a difference? Rhetoric and reality in mid-Victorian finance

'Gladstonian finance' is generally taken to mean balancing the budget, limiting the level of public expenditure, and making progress in paying off the national debt. Gladstone also distinguished himself from contemporary Conservatives (and most classical economists) by having no especial dislike for direct taxes. After putting Gladstone's public utterances in the context of his rivals, classical political economy, and contemporary views of the role of the state, we use cointegration analysis to see if Gladstone, as Chancellor or Prime Minister, made a statistically detectable difference to trends in public spending, taxation, the balance of the budget or the size of the national debt. He did not.     

An offer they couldn't refuse (but probably should have): the ineffectiveness of Italian state subsidies to movie-making

Public financial support to national movie (film) production is typically conditional on very subjective artistic and socio-cultural criteria and objectives. Yet the question remains as to whether state subsidies actually help films at the box office. This paper shows the public grant regime in Italy did not develop the industry as intended, since in an overwhelming number of cases, production losses exceeded subsidy. The subsidy regime was ineffective and wasteful. Specific institutional and political features characterizing the Italian system are important components in this story. The conclusions will be of interest to all countries making commercial films.     

The Migratory Worker in American Agriculture

The debate over the minimum wage is often conducted on a technical level, primarily focusing on the effects of wage increases. In recent years the debate has often been between those who maintain that increases in the minimum wage will result in disemployment, particularly among teenagers, on the one hand and those who maintain that increases will offer much needed assistance to the poor on the other. Lost in this focus have been serious discussions of the ethical grounds for such a policy. Core to the issue of the minimum wage are questions of justice and the type of society we would like to create. This article argues that the technical approach to the minimum wage so often taken is an outgrowth of a particular conception of justice, one predicted on liberal neutrality. A different conception of justice would enable us to view the minimum wage as but one tool for achieving other social objectives. Moreover, a justice approach to the minimum wage would enable us to consider our values because we would be required to engage in a more philosophically grounded discussion of the policy and the issues it raises.     

Where Are We Now On Cultural Economics

A survey of progress in cultural economics since its virtual birth in 1966 with the publication of Baumol and Bowen, Performing Arts: The Economic Dilemma , distinguishing between 'theoretical progress' and 'empirical progress'. Following in the footsteps of Towse's recent anthology of classic papers in cultural economics, I address nine topics that between them cover the subject, namely, (1) taste and taste formation, (2) demand and supply studies, (3) the media industries, (4) the art market, (5) the economic history of the arts, (6) the labour market for artists, (7) Baumol's cost disease, (8) non‐profit arts organisations, and (9) public subsidies to the arts. I conclude that there has been some theoretical and empirical progress in the treatment of almost all these topics.     

Does opinion leadership influence service evaluation and loyalty intentions? Evidence from an arts services provider

The role of opinion leadership to develop positive loyalty effects in the arts services has received little attention. The objectives of this paper are: first, to test the influence of opinion leadership between service attributes and loyalty; and second, to test if this effect is different across gender and education level groups. The model was validated using EFA and multiple regression analysis with bootstrapping. Results fully support that during the service evaluation process, loyalty is predicted differently according to the individual's opinion leadership level. When opinion leadership is high, satisfaction-related attributes are determinant to predict a person's loyalty; when opinion leadership is low, perceived quality-related attributes act as predictors of loyalty. The data also supports a moderation effect amongst women and visitors in the high education level group. These findings highlight the importance of understanding opinion leaders in identifying ways for an organization to strengthen interactions among arts patrons, and develop positive loyalty effects.     

体验式教学法在茶艺课程中的应用研究

体验式教学法在高等院校越来越多的学科教学中被应用,根据教学目的和特点,茶艺课程引入体验式教学法有着实际的应用意义。本文从采取的措施到具体的课堂环节设计,以及注意事项等方面,探讨了体验式教学法在茶艺课程中的应用问题。     

THE ORANGE BOOK: EIGHT YEARS ON

The Orange Book had an important influence on Liberal Democrat thinking, particularly on economics, tax, and public service reform. Without the policy changes which the book and its authors anticipated, it is much more difficult to imagine the governing Liberal Democrat‐Conservative coalition being formed and sustained. This paper examines the origins and impact of the book, and sketches out future directions for policy development.     

On the Strong Liberal State: Beyond Berghahn and Young

The paper is a reply to Berghahn and Young's reflections on Bonefeld's ‘Freedom and the Strong State’. It argues that ordoliberalism focuses on the strong state as the political form of free economy.     

香港制造业升级的障碍分析

本文探讨了近年香港制造业升级困难的两个主要原因:大陆的无限廉价劳动力的利用和自由放任的经济政策。由此给出建议:适当的政府干预必不可少。