Ann M. Galligan

Moving Rivers, Shifting Streams: Perspectives on the Existence of a Policy Window

his article represents differing perspectives on the creation and establishment of the Rhode Island Arts Learning Network (ALN). At the heart of this discussion is whether or not the Rhode Island task force in charge of this process took advantage of what noted public policy analyst John Kingdon refers to as a “policy window” where policy issues move onto the government agenda and toward decision and action. “Moving rivers” refers to the presence of both major policy realignments as well as physical and demographic changes that were occurring in Rhode Island between 1999 and 2003.1 Kingdon describes the process of opening a policy window as involving three convergent streams: (1) the problem stream involving problem identification and recognition often based on indicators or focusing events; (2) the policy stream populated by disparate policy communities producing alternatives and proposals; and (3) the political stream incorporating shifts in public opinion, administration changes, and interest-group dynamics in the determining of actor receptivity of policy actors to varied changes. These streams, all flowing independently with a life of their own and driven by differing forces, are coupled by policy entrepreneurs at critical points in time in an effort to influence agenda setting and advocate policy alternatives. (Policy entrepreneurs, within the Kingdon model, are those who expend personal resources— time, energy, money—in pursuit of particular policy objectives). On the merging of the streams, a policy window then opens “because of change in the political stream or . . . because a new problem captures the attention of governmental officials and those close to them,” thereby providing the opportunity for action in the form of policy proposals and alternatives.2 In essence, a policy window opens in either the political stream or the problem stream leading to coupling efforts on the part of entrepreneurs eager to be involved in decision making and have a role in shaping the decision agenda. If, however, coupling does not occur when the problem or political streams set the governmental agenda, there is little chance an item will rise on the actual decision agenda on which action is to be taken, as the streams by themselves are not capable of setting decision-agenda items. Thus, when a problem is identified and the political environment is favorable, it is vital that the policy stream produce viable alternatives. Otherwise, the risk of an item fading from the decision agenda is markedly increased. Therefore, in light of the use of Kingdon’s model as an analytical framework, some central questions remain: Did a policy window for arts education open in Rhode Island between 1999 and 2003? What changes actually took place and how so? Were the three separate streams that Kingdon identifies actually in place? And if they were, how and when did they shift into a pattern that resulted in policy change? Moreover, is the use of Kingdon’s streams the appropriate policy model guiding inquiry into the ALN’s formation, or does another framework emerge as more advantageous? Ultimately, the actions of the task force itself provide answers to the questions posed above.

Financial Support for Individual Artists

The fact that information on approximately ten years of support for individuals (1990–2000) has been maintained by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), state and local arts agencies, and foundations has enabled us to track trends, gross amounts, and other factors related to funding for artists. Data were available for only three years from regional arts agencies (1998–2000). No comprehensive data existed on financial assistance from service and trade organizations or artists’ residencies. For these sources, we used discrete samples or examples, or created small samples to arrive at a sense of how they might contribute to artists’ financial assistance. Significant funding for artists comes from sources other than direct financial aid. However, data for such funding are primarily anecdotal and not tallied

The Evolution of Art and Culture as It Relates to Workforce Dynamics

The author discusses the relationship among art, culture, and the workforce, examining the historical context of these areas and outlining the implications for the arts and cultural sector.

Education in the Arts

ducation and its relationship with the arts is more than a research topic for me—it is a deeply felt passion. I do not believe any nation or state can advance a strong arts and cultural policy without a sound arts education policy, but in many instances this is the exception, not the norm. I also believe a strong arts education policy is tied into workforce policy and issues of national identity (Galligan 2001). For the past eight years, I have been invested in two major arts education initiatives in New England—one, a statewide initiative in Rhode Island (Galligan and Burgess 2005) that has changed the graduation requirement to include the arts and has the potential to impact every student in the state; the other, an art intervention involving more than one thousand low-socioeconomic, high-risk middle school students in Boston, Massachusetts. These two research projects have taken me back to the classroom and provided me with a unique vantage point on this topic that I hope informs this issue. Why examine the relationship between education and the arts? In my mind, the stakes are so high that we must put the topic of education and the arts front and center. The future of the next generation is at stake.