The coalition government has announced significant cuts in public spending without reviewing radically the functions that government should undertake. It is now clear that further cuts may be necessary to get the economy back on track, as well as being desirable in order to reduce the role of government in the economy and in society. Although some of the functions of the DCMS were previously carried out by other ministries, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport itself is a relatively new creation.

This panel discussion will seek to answer the question of whether there should be a specific government department covering the areas of media, culture and sport. Our Panellists will go on to consider what precisely the legitimate role of government in these sectors should be.

Speakers include:
– David Elstein, Chairman, openDemocracy;
– Dominique Lazanski, Head of Digital Policy, The TaxPayers’ Alliance;
– Martin Le Jeune, Founder, OpenRoad;
– Mark Littlewood, Director General & Ralph Harris Fellow, IEA;
– Prof J R Shackleton, Professor of Economics, University of Buckingham