Governance Of The German Film Industry: A Multilevel Analysis Of State Aid Policy

Germany's system of state aid for film combines a high degree of subsidization with a decentralized structure. The evolution of film policy governance, however, remains unclear. To shed light on the dynamics of film funding institutions and the logics they represent, the authors apply a multilevel framework that addresses three aspects of German film policy: the influence of New Public Management (NPM) on funding bodies, efforts at policy legitimation, and the impacts of public funding. Pairing existing data with case studies and a content analysis of film funding guidelines, they analyze the role of cultural and economic logics at the meso level of funding bodies. Analyses show the strong influence of NPM doctrine in reorienting these funding institutions. Although films are merit goods, few funders explicitly link their support to non-monetary public benefits. Further, the impacts of film subsidies point to several areas for improvement of management.