CULTMED – Interdisciplinary Research on Cultural and Media Policies and Practices: Developmental and Democratic Potentials is a new project of the Department of Culture and Communication at the Institute for Development and International Relations, which commenced on December 31, 2023. Over the next four years, the project will conduct research related to the development of culture and cultural policy, media and media policy in Croatia, within the context of the local, regional, national, European, and global environments that influence the directions of cultural development in Croatia.
Special attention will be given to the origins and causes of changes in cultural and media policy, as well as shifts in concepts, orientations, and paradigms of cultural and media policy that interact with other public policies and have a transversal impact on them. Attention will also be placed on the democratization of cultural policy with a focus on accessibility, sustainability, and pluralism in cultural sector management, public resources in culture, and the creation of new forms of organization and institution management. Political, economic, and social changes in the media will be explored, especially in the areas of digital infrastructure, new business models and public services, and citizens’ digital skills.
Through applied analysis of the cultural, media, and communication environment in international, European, and national contexts, as well as defining the socio-technological foundations and institutional frameworks of cultural and media policy, the project aims to contribute to the strengthening of democratic principles of accountability, representation, and participation in the Republic of Croatia and provides scientific foundations for informed cultural and media policy making. The project plans to establish two research centres through which project activities will be conducted: CULTURELINK and CEMEDIG.
The first working meeting of the CULTMED team was held on January 30, 2024. Team members discussed the work plan and upcoming activities, particularly the establishment of the envisaged research centres and the development of the project website and logo.
The project is funded by the European Union NextGenerationEU programme.
