Project Description

Arjo Klamer,

professor in Cultural Economics at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, Netherlands

I try to make a contribution to the field of cultural economics with the value based approach that I am developing. New are the notions of shared goods, and the four sphere model. Of course, I hope that they will prove to be contributions but that the community of scholars will determine. I hope to make a major contribution with the Quality Impact monitor that I am developing with others. I make serious efforts to educate students and professionals in the worlds of art and culture. I am proud of the Master of Cultural Economics and Entrepreneurship that I helped to develop and of the series of workshops on Cultural Economics and the values of culture that I am doing with Creare throughout the world (eg in Amsterdam, India, Uganda, Japan, Portugal, Venice, Brazil and Let land).

Most important is the PhD program for which I am responsible. Already 18 people achieved their PhD and most of them have good careers in academia (5 of whom became full professor). Currently around 14 people from all over the world are working towards their PhD under my supervision. I also try to contribute to professional education in the liberal arts. I have tried to develop a unique University in Deventer, Academia Vitae, but the recessions forced me to cease the effort. I am now involved in setting up a sequel under the name of Academia of Liberal Arts. In this Academia we take the classics seriously.I also try to contribute to societal and political discussions by means of lectures, columns, debates and am now involved in local politics (to discover how complex and demanding the craft of politics is).

The first part of my scholarly career was dedicated to a critical study of the science of economics. I wanted to understand peculiarities of that science such as the persistent disagreements among economists, the limited relevence of economics for policy, and the empirical difficulties that face. This culminated in the book Conversations with Economists (1984) first and then Speaking of economics: How to be in the conversation (2006). The conversations book consists of conversations with well known macroeconomists about a controversy in macroeconomics. It was quite a succes and became a motivation for many to study economics (at least, so I was told). In the second book I developed the rethorical approach that Deirde McCloskey and I introduced in economics. My suggestion is that economics is a conversation, or better, a bunch of conversations.

After 1994 I turned to the subject or cultural economics, and specifically, the world of the arts. I was struck by the resistance towards economicsin that world, and struggled with the financial aspects. Together with Giep Hagoort I introduced the notion of cultural entrepeneurship in the discussion and called attention to the phenomenon of the gift and the role of the socalled third sector (together with PW Zuidhof). I published several books (like the value of culture in 1996) and some articles on the subject.

My Dutch book In Hemelsnaam reveals the contours of a new value based thinking that I developed to make sense of the cultural world. The foundation for the value based approach is Doing the Right Thing: a Value Based Economy. The first edition came out in 2016, the internet edition with Ubiquity press in 2017. See also: doingtherightthing.nl

This book redefines economics as the science that studies the realization of values, introduces the notion of shared goods and a model of five spheres for the valorization of values, and motivates the socalled quality impact monitor.

Quite a few master and PhD students are applying the value based approach in their work. We give workshops (through Creare) on the value based approach and qualitative monitoring.

Apart from my scholarly work I am active in a range of organisations. In the first decade of this century I tried to found a new university, Academia Vitae in Deventer. I could not make it last – one of my disapointments- and am now working on a sequel.

From 2014 until July 2017 I was a governor ( a sort of alderman) in the city of Hilversum for the socialist party. There I learned how to govern and how to do politics.  The challenge was to apply thing I had learned in my scholarly work. I succeeded partially.

Privately I feel privileged  with a nice home in Hilversum, the Netherlands, a wife and 2,3,4 or five children, depending on how I count.

Current position:

Lector Fontys Academy for creative industries, 2012 – present.
Professor in the Economics of Art and Culture, Erasmus University Rotterdam 1994-present
Research Professor of Economics, The George Washington University, 1995-present

Academic honours:

National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow, 1985-1986
Hoover Fellow, Duke University, 1978-1979
Fulbright Fellow, 1977-1981

Professional and voluntary activities:

Chairman supervisory board foundation Filosofie Oost West
Chairman Stichting Economie en Cultuur
Chairman Crafts Council NL
Chairman stichting CREARE
Member of American Economic Association, History of Economics Society, URPE, Society of Cultural Economics.
Member of Executive Board Association of Cultural economics
Member Board of Rotheater, Rotterdam
Member Board of Grafisch Lyceum Rotterdam
Chair Stichting Kinder Kunsthal (-december 2004)
Member Board Stichting Boymans
Treasurer Stichting “Stop de uitverkoop van de beschaving”
Chairman Stichting “Filosofie Oost-West”
Member Board Stichting Onbegrend Talent
Bestuurslid coöperatie productief leren*
DB- en AB-lid Tomingroep (ambtshalve)*
Coordinator (gedeeld) programma Economie en duurzaamheid. Hogeschool Toegepaste Filosofie
Voorzitter Werkkamer
Voorzitter bestuur cooperatie Productief Leren
Lid advies commissie Voetbalclub Victoria*
Lid Bestuur stichting Atelier voor creativiteit en ondernemerschap*