A report released recently by the Arts Council of Ireland, Socio-Economic Conditions of Theatre Practitioners in Ireland, contains an international review of research on the socio-economic conditions of artists and artist support policies. Chapter two of the report reviews international findings on artists' socio-economic conditions, investigates different types of programs for supporting artists, and explores three concepts from Cultural Economics on the economics of arts and cultural work. The chapter draws on research from countries such as the USA, New Zealand, the UK, Canada, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Germany and Australia. Chapter three details the situation in Ireland. Designed as background to the full report, the two chapters stand alone equally well as a summary of current knowledge on artists' working conditions and policies to support artists. Download the full report HERE.

http://www.artscouncil.ie/library/downloads/theatre_socio_study.pdf