Switzerland/ 1. Historical perspective: cultural policies and instruments  

Federal involvement in the development of Swiss cultural policy gained a new, more modern momentum following the transformation of Pro Helvetia (otherwise known as the Arts Council of Switzerland) into a public foundation in 1949. Up until this time, support for culture was derived mainly from the cantons and cities. Federal support for cultural activities was minimal with the exception of resources provided to build the Swiss National Library and National Museum. Today, federal involvement in cultural life has increased. However, the cantons and cities continue to provide the majority of resources to support cultural activities.

From the 1950s, there were signs that the quality of life in Switzerland was improving. General rates of participation in cultural life increased parallel to rising levels of education, widespread use of the mass media and a reduction in the amount of hours devoted to working life. At the same time, traditional structures, including the family, were breaking up and the sprawl of urbanisation was expanding. The arts tried to address these societal developments on various levels, which led to a broader mandate and definition of culture.

Until the end of the 1960s and early 1970s, culture was mainly considered a private matter in Switzerland. Although culture was funded by the cities, the cantons, and the Swiss Confederation, there was almost no public discussion on it. In the early 1970s, discussion on cultural policy intensified and resulted in the establishment of a legal basis and public mission for Pro Helvetia; the creation of a temporary Federal Commission of Experts for Swiss Cultural Matters (the Clottu Commission, 1969); the Conference of Swiss Cities on Cultural Matters (SKK 1970); and the establishment of a separate Swiss Federal Office of Culture (BAK) in 1975.

While the concept of culture was being broadened, culture as an important dimension in many policy sectors was being discussed. National cohesion (identity) and diversity as well as the growing gaps between urban and rural areas became central issues in this context.

Several strategic cultural policy papers were drawn up during the 1980s. These sought to secure a fundamental basis for culture on many policy levels and to make proposals for programmes. For example, in 1980 the federal government presented its first explicit proposal for culture in Parliament. In 1984, the Conference of Swiss Cities on Cultural Matters (SKK) presented its first paper on cultural policy on the local level. In 1986, a civic initiative and an ensuing (yet unsuccessful) referendum intended to introduce general aspects of cultural policy into the Federal Constitution. Attention given to cultural exchanges with foreign countries increased during this time.

During the 1980s, there was a growing interest on the part of the cantons and cities to increase their support for cultural and socio-cultural activities. This interest manifested itself in action and in the realisation that a more comprehensive structure for cultural policy at the local level was required. Toward the end of the 1980s, the need to evaluate cultural policies appeared on political agendas and the Conference of Cultural Representatives of the Cantons and the Swiss Federal Office of Culture (BAK) were established.

Public budgets were cut in the early 1990s. Responsibilities between the different levels of government with regard to culture needed to be more clearly defined in areas such as the support granted to institutions of national interest, equality between different language regions of the country, and foreign policy. There was also renewed interest in pursuing scientific debates about culture and cultural policy as well as continuing public discussions on the establishment of a constitutional basis for cultural competencies.

Today, culture is an element in different policy areas. In the context of globalisation, for example, the Swiss government has given cultural foreign policy a new priority. Other important issues in the national debate are the role of culture with regard to national cohesion (including the discussion of a language and minority policy) or the establishment of a Swiss-wide memo-policy. Also, the debate about cultural industries as part of a forward-looking cultural policy is new on the agenda.

With the new millennium, the age-old debates on establishing a constitutional basis for culture and the pursuit of a federal model for cultural policy development have taken an important step forward. On the legal basis of the revised constitution, the Swiss Parliament has passed a Law on the Promotion of Culture at the end of 2009. On this basis, strategic aims will be defined for the first time for the most important actors of the Confederation for the period from 2012 to 2016.