Cultural policy beyond economy: democratising access to the arts through cultural policy in Singapore

Across the globe, governments have released cultural policies that aim to justify public expenditure on the arts through democratising access to the arts to the wider population. Singapore is no exception. This article critically examines the role of cultural policy in expanding access to the arts in Singapore. More specifically, this article will demonstrate how cultural policy in Singapore has traditionally and consistently adopted a democratisation of culture approach to broaden access to develop arts audiences. Through an analysis of cultural policy documents and statistical data on arts attendance and attitudes in Singapore, this article will highlight some of the tensions and challenges arising from an audience-centric and consumption-oriented cultural policy, especially in terms of enabling cultural policy to be truly democratic, equitable and impactful towards arts workers. Overall, this article contributes situated and locally-specific insights to significant debates about the role of cultural policy in ensuring cultural access and equity.