ABSTRACT
Norway finds itself in the midst of a cultural and political golden age: the government is investing significant sums in national cultural institutions such as the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, and right around the corner a new National Museum, while investments are being channelled into a number of regional cultural facilities. While budgets earmarked for culture are being heavily cut back in many European countries, funds for culturally related projects are being augmented slowly but surely because the sitting government under Jens Stoltenberg has as its goal to bring the cultural budget up to a level of 1 per cent of the national budget. During the period between 2005 and 2012 the culture budget has grown by 3.7 billion crowns (€1 is approximately 8 Norwegian crowns), which represents an increase of 73 per cent. The growth of the culture budget is currently greater than growth in the national budget as a whole. This focus on culture goes under the name ‘Culture Boost’, a boost that is of course very well received by those involved with culture.
