Using the economic point of view for an analysis of phenomena related to artistic activities, Arts & Economics not only challenges widely held popular views, but also offers an alternative perspective to sociological or art historic approaches.The wide range of subjects presented are of current interest and, above all, relevant for cultural policy. The issues discussed include: institutions from festivals to "superstar" museums, different means of supporting the arts, including the question whether artistic creativity is undermined by public intervention, an investigation into art as an investment, the various approaches applied when valuing our cultural properties, or why, in a comparative perspective, direct voter participation in cultural policy is not antagonistic to artistic values.