David Hesmondhalgh is Professor of Media, Music and Culture at the University of Leeds, UK.   Kate Oakley is Professor of Cultural Policy at the University of Leeds, UK.   David Lee is Lecturer in Cultural Industries and Communication at the University of Leeds, UK.   Melissa Nisbett is Senior Lecturer in Arts and Cultural Management at King's College London, UK.

"As the first study to assess the influential cultural policies of New Labour in the round, this is an important, wide-ranging and very welcome contribution to the field." - Philip Schlesinger, University of Glasgow, UK "'It is hard to imagine a more empirically rich or more theoretically subtle account of the making, implementation and impact of cultural policy. Culture, Economy and Politics is true to its title; it weaves together the multiple interests and actors that shaped and delivered New Labour's agenda. The result is a revelation; it should change how we understand and study the politics of culture." - John Street, University of East Anglia, UK 'This is a truly marvellous, important and timely book. It is rigorously researched, analytically sharp, and will be of interest to a wide readership in academia as well as in the cultural policy world. The authors have produced an invaluable volume, tracking the rise of the creative economy as a flagship of the New Labour years. This is a work that will have lasting influence and will give shape to debates in the field for many years to come.' - Angela McRobbie, Goldsmiths University of London, UK

• 1. Culture, Politics and Equality: the Challenge for Social Democracy 2. New Labour, Culture and Creativity 3. The Arts: Access, Excellence and Instrumentalism 4. What Was Creative Industries Policy? Film, Copyright, and the Shift to Creative Economy 5. Cultural Policy and the Regions 6. Policy Innovation: NESTA and Creative Partnerships 7. Heritage 8. How Did New Labour Do On Arts and Culture? And What Happened Next?