From Public Support to Market Favoritism: A Critical Analysis of France’s "Pass Culture" Policy

In his first term, French President Emmanuel Macron introduced the "pass Culture", a policy inspired by Italy's "Bonus Cultura,". This initiative provides a €300 credit to every 18-year-old in France, allowing them to purchase any item classified as a "cultural good." This represents a significant departure from France’s traditional cultural policy, which has historically subsidized less profitable sectors (such as theater, French cinema, and fine arts) where market forces were insufficient. Instead, the Pass Culture redirects substantial subsidies to the broader cultural market.

Why would a neoliberal government endorse such an expensive, universal, demand-side policy? Executive claim that this policy “democratizes” culture. Does it hold up to scrutiny? This presentation addresses these questions by examining the effects of the pass Culture policy.

The analysis draws on administrative data from the pass Culture app, capturing all user purchases, as well as survey data from 5,011 individuals aged 18-21. Using descriptive statistics and quantitative policy evaluation methods, I demonstrate that the policy primarily reinforces existing cultural consumption patterns. Beneficiaries largely opt for popular cultural products, such as mainstream films and best-selling literature, with large cinema chains, major festivals, and dominant book distributors receiving most of the economic benefit.

Building on Garnham’s (2005) critique of “creative industries” policies, I argue that the pass Culture is less about reducing inequality in cultural access and more about subsidizing the most profitable and productive sectors of the cultural market. I would also suggest that the promotion of “autonomy” and “free choice” by the designers of this public policy acted as a form of populist justification for reforming the way the state subsidizes cultural production. This shift enabled the French government to initiate the replacement of conventional bureaucratic funding structures with a market-based allocation model.