An interview in Courrier des statistiques with Philippe Chantepie and Jeannine Cardona from the French culture ministry’s Département des Études et de la Prospective: (DEPS) about how DEPS is organized, and how its operations and work program changed since the 1970s.
The Department’s mission has been to build up economic and social knowledge of cultural life in France. DEPS does this by (1) compiling statistics on culture, (2) producing analyses on the economics of cultural activities, and (3) preparing studies on the changes in cultural participation generated by the evolution in lifestyles. Thanks to these activities, DEPS provides quantitative and qualitative insights for defining the nation’s cultural policies, charting their course, and assisting in decision-making.