Reimagining Cultural Policy Through Co-Creation and Co-Production: Turning Focus on Participation and Networks

The concepts of co-production and co-creation have recently been adopted in cultural policy research. This study examines from the managerial perspective how co-production and co-creation manifest in arts institutions and how co-production and co-creation relate to the cultural policy dimensions of participation and inclusion. Drawing on the interview data, the findings indicate that co-creation and co-production differ in practice and context: co-production occurs in networks of organizational actors, whereas co-creation often involves participants (i.e., audiences or other professionals) in cultural productions. In these activities, both experts and non-expert attendees may have identifiable roles and meanings in co-produced productions and the co-created value of the content. Thus, from a management point of view, the concepts of co-creation and co-production cannot be used interchangeably, but they need to be understood intertwined. To develop these concepts at practical level requires in cultural policy and decision-making more in-depth understanding of the networks and role of different actors in the cultural field and their dynamics.