Book excerpt: Cultural Economics and Cultural Policies offers a unique guide to the state of the art in cultural economics. First, it alerts scholars and students to the necessity for careful definition and measurement of the `cultural sector'. Second, it affords examples of how economic analysis can shed light on the motivation of creative and performing artists and of artistic enterprises. Third, Cultural Economics and Cultural Policies widens the discussion of public policy towards the arts beyond general economic appraisal of arguments for government financial support. It does so by considering the government's role in defining property rights in artistic products and in regulating as well as financing the arts; examining how the criteria for government support are actually applied. Cultural Economics and Cultural Policies will be of interest to economists, students and policy makers.