The tension between the power and resources at the centre and the interests and ambitions of the periphery is a long-standing issue in cultural policy. This tension has strongly been in play during the years of the Labour government. The United Kingdom has witnessed simultaneously the decline of regionalism and the rise of devolved governments that are using experiments in cultural policy as their first exercises in independence from London. Other countries in Europe and the wider world, however, have longer experience of cultural devolution, regionalism and federalism. This conference interrogates these concepts in the context of the UK cultural sector, and asks what lessons overseas models may have for us.

We wish to invite abstracts on these issues, particularly from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and consider models from elsewhere - France, Germany, Spain and Canada in particular.

The deadline for submission is Thursday 9^th April 2009. To submit your abstract please send an email headed ‘Cultural Trends Conference’ to the journal editor, Sara Selwood: S.Selwood@city.ac.uk" target="_blank"> S.Selwood@city.ac.uk. All presentations during the conference will be published in a special issue of Cultural Trends.

Cultural Trends is based on the proposition that cultural policy should be informed by evidence–based analyses. It aims to: 

• stimulate analysis and understanding of the arts and wider cultural sector based on relevant and reliable evidence;
• identify clear trends in cultural provision, funding;
• consider participation, including the differences between different social groups and the  impact of culture on individuals and society, as well as how such assessments are made and used;
• provide a critique of those data upon which arts and wider cultural policy may be based, implemented, evaluated and developed and encourage improvements in the coverage, timeliness and accessibility of statistical  information on the arts and wider cultural sector; and
• examine the soundness of measures of the performance of government and public sector bodies in the arts and wider cultural sector.

More details about Cultural Trends can be found on the website www.tandf.co.uk/journals/ccut