Latest news with #CreativeEurope
Boston Globe
5 days ago
- Business
- Boston Globe
Soft power delivers big returns, but Trump is slashing it anyway
Studies in many countries show that spending on diplomacy, cultural engagement, and humanitarian relief generates a huge economic return on investment —at least six times greater than the dollars invested. Advertisement The European Union's Creative Europe program produced three to four times the amount invested in cultural diplomacy. Advertisement The United States has not measured its soft power directly, but there is no doubt that it boosts its image by providing humanitarian and disaster aid. In 2003, the United States spent $400 million to help Indonesia recover from the massive tsunami in the Indian Ocean. Public approval of the United States in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country, Today, the United States is turning away from such opportunities. What may look like savings through layoffs and grant rescissions will in fact cost billions in lost trade, weakened alliances, and diminished global influence. In nearly every other policy domain — whether approving a medicine, a public safety regulation, or building new infrastructure — government decisions are informed by cost-benefit analysis. No such analysis has been performed here. If cost-benefit thinking were applied to soft power, it would be clear that the benefits of soft power far outweigh the costs. Advertisement The concept is well understood in the private sector. Businesses spend heavily to acquire 'goodwill' — brand value, reputation, and customer trust. Such intangible assets drive future profits and provide protection against commercial competitors. Governments should treat soft power the same way: as a hedge that reduces economic and military conflict. When nations trust America and see us as a partner rather than a threat, they are far less likely to take hostile actions that would require costly military responses. Soft power investments provide a double dividend that pays off in both economic gains and reduced defense spending. The full value of America's global engagement may only become evident once it is withdrawn. The Trump administration is working hard to achieve this end. The Trump administration has laid off government scientists, educators, and health experts, including last week's As the United States slashes its soft power budget,China is scaling up. The Chinese Belt and Road Initiative has committed more than $1 trillion in infrastructure spending. Chinese-funded rail projects in Malaysia, Advertisement The dollar 'savings' that Thune crowed about amount to less than the cost of a single F-35 fighter jet. But a fighter jet can't help refugees, teach Afghan girls to read, or persuade African leaders to choose American over Chinese technology. As Nye pointed out, soft power is easy to squander and difficult to recover. The cuts, combined with the Trump administration's sustained assault on the nation's leading universities, represent a colossal soft power miscalculation. They will cost America global influence that no amount of military spending can replace.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
U.K. Streaming Levy Officially Rejected by Government: 'We Support a Mixed Ecology'
Panic over, streamers — the U.K. government has rejected calls for a levy on platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+. The streaming tax had been put to the government by Britain's Culture, Media and Sport Committee in a bid to salvage local British production on high-end television and film, allowing public service broadcasters such as the BBC and ITV to claw back some of the finance hogged by streamers. More from The Hollywood Reporter Spike Lee's 'Highest 2 Lowest' to Kick Off Opening Weekend of Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival BBC Deemed Bob Vylan "High Risk" Before Glastonbury Set, Moves Staff Off Live Events Team Italian Film Chief Resigns Amid Probe Into Tax Credit for U.S. Producer Now Accused of Double Murder It comes as the booming production industry in the U.K. continues to skew toward the platforms. U.K. production spend reached £5.6 billion ($7.9 billion) in 2024, a 31 percent increase since 2023, with £4.8 billion ($6.5 billion) of this total coming from inward investment and co-productions. In its response, published Thursday, the government did not agree with the proposed 5 percent levy, and instead expressed a wish to see 'a healthy, mixed film and TV ecology.' 'Investment from SVoD [Subscription Video on Demand] services contributes to the success of our domestic sector,' the statement said, noting schemes such as Amazon Prime's Video Pathway and Disney's investments in the expansion of Bedfordshire's National Film and Television School. The response cited Barbie and Bridgerton's £80 million ($109m) and £275 million ($375m) contribution, respectively, to the U.K. economy over the last five years. The regency-era Netflix show has supported 5,000 local business in Britain. 'In line with our objective to support a mixed ecology, we will however continue to engage with major SVoD services, with the independent production sector and with PSBs [Public Service Broadcasters] on how best to ensure mutually beneficial conditions for all parties,' it added. The government said it would 'strongly welcome' increased investment in U.K. content and wants to see more successful co-productions between streamers and PSBs, it concluded, such as the BBC and HBO's His Dark Materials or the BBC Three-Netflix team-up on A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. Netflix alone has invested billions of pounds into the U.K., working with more than 200 producers and 30,000 cast and crew members. 'Netflix members have already paid the BBC license fee. A levy would be a double tax on them and us. It's unfair,' a source close to the matter told THR when news of the levy first swirled. 'This is a tariff on success. And our members are going to be punished.' The government response also ruled out a return to the European Union's Creative Europe. 'Whilst we do not have any plans to rejoin Creative Europe, we recognize these sectors' unique and valuable contributions to Europe's diverse cultural landscape and the economic benefits that relationship brings.' Support from the government in this area includes scaling up the U.K. Global Screen Fund — from £7m ($9.5m) to £18m ($24.5m) annually — in a bid to show commitment to increasing U.K. independent screen content's international reach. Best of The Hollywood Reporter From 'Party in the U.S.A.' to 'Born in the U.S.A.': 20 of America's Most Patriotic (and Un-Patriotic) Musical Offerings Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ukrainian comics presented at Bologna Children's Book Fair
The International Children's Book Fair started in Bologna on Monday 31 March, and Ukraine is being represented by 25 publishing houses. Source: Ukrainian Book Institute Details: The Ukrainian national stand, like last year, is decorated with illustrations by Oleksandr Shatokhin from the "quiet book" The Yellow Butterfly. All this is accompanied by leaflets with information about Ukrainian children killed or deported by Russia, as well as about destroyed libraries. Leaflets for visitors Photo: Tetiana Petrenko Olena Odynoka, Ukrainian Book Institute Deputy Director for International Cooperation, said that during the first day of the fair, the Ukrainian stand was visited by representatives of the Federation of European Publishers, representatives of the Creative Europe financial fund that finances cultural projects, and partners of the Ukrainian Book Institute from European countries. "We strive to inform the international audience as much as possible about the challenges faced by Ukraine and, in particular, the Ukrainian book sector. It is important for us to involve partners in supporting Ukrainian culture, as this is also a contribution to our struggle," commented Olena Odynoka. This year, the organisers have brought together twentieth-century illustrators with contemporary artists, creating pairings that demonstrate the continuity and influence of previous generations. "We have a powerful school of illustration that our 'neighbours' [Russia - ed.] have repeatedly tried to appropriate. Our task is therefore to restore and popularise this heritage, to show that Ukrainian culture is rich and original," said Olena Staranchuk, co-curator of Pictoric, which together with Book Arsenal created the exhibition for the Bologna Fair. At the exhibition, the organisers combined twentieth-century illustrators with contemporary artists Photo: Tetiana Petrenko "As for the stand design itself, it was my project. We tried to make it bright and relevant to our reality. It worked because it attracted attention. Of course, the topic of war remains key for us. At the same time, we understand that it is important to tell the international audience not only about the war but also to acquaint them with Ukrainian culture in general,'" Staranchuk added. On the first day of the Bologna Book Fair, a panel discussion titled "Maliopys: Ukrainian Comics in Wartime" took place. During the panel, the speakers spoke about the history of comics in Ukraine and discussed Mariam Nayem's cartoon, A Short History of a Long War. Anna Karnaukh's book Telegraf Magazine is presented at the book fair Photo: Tetiana Petrenko "Ukrainian comics are still a new phenomenon for the international audience. No one knows what to expect from them. We brought very different projects - children's, adult, historical and even scientific. So now we are looking at how they will be perceived. We are also actively promoting the name 'maliopys', explaining to foreigners what it means [comic strip] and how Ukrainian comics are different to show their uniqueness. After all, many countries have their own terms: bande dessinée, manga, fumetti. It's good that this name 'maliopys' has already been established in Ukraine, and now we are trying to bring it to an international level," explained Hanna Tkach, literary manager at the OVO literary agency. Tkach noted that the panellists also said that Ukrainians are aware of their trauma and work with it. "I can't say that Europeans are sceptical about Ukrainian narratives, but they often perceive them as being told through the prism of our trauma. That is, there is an opinion that our optics may be hypertrophied because of the events we have experienced - that we may be exaggerating or presenting events in overly dramatic tones. That is why it is important for us to talk about this with an international audience," the literary manager concluded. Many partners visited the Ukrainian stand during the first half day of the fair Photo: Tetiana Petrenko Reference: The Bologna Children's Book Fair was founded in 1964. Since then, the fair has become a creative hub for publishers, illustrators, designers, translators, librarians and other representatives of the publishing business. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
