Premium
The Arts and Employment: A Case Study of the Stratford Festival
Author(s) -
MITCHELL CLARE J. A.,
WALL GEOFFREY
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
growth and change
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.657
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1468-2257
pISSN - 0017-4815
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-2257.1989.tb00501.x
Subject(s) - job creation , the arts , argument (complex analysis) , sociology , management , political science , labour economics , economics , visual arts , art , biochemistry , chemistry
This paper examines the impact of the Stratford Festival on employment within the community of Stratford, Ontario. The specific objective is to calculate the number of “secondary” jobs created in Stratford per “primary” job generated at the festival. This is achieved in three stages. First, primary employment is calculated from information provided by theatre personnel. Second, secondary employment is assessed from information collected in a survey of local business proprietors. Third, a festival‐employment multiplier is derived. This reveals the number of secondary jobs created in the community per job at the festival. Results indicate that 1.6 jobs result in Stratford for every job generated at the theatre. This finding provides evidence that cultural organizations contribute positively to the economic climate of a community. The economic consequences of cultural events constitute an important argument for their continued support.