Some believe that culture –literature, visual art, music, theater and etc.– is an important aspect of a healthy state.  Culture, as distinct from entertainment, is often not commercially viable. How, then, do artists support themselves?  During the Great Depression, the Work Progress Administration funded many public art projects. Some of these state-sponsored art projects were criticized for being limited to one particular kind of political ideology. More recently, some National Endowment for the Arts projects have been criticized for supporting art that some people may find offensive. On the one hand, funded art was found to be too restrictive; on the other hand, not restrictive enough. Is there a solution? How could anti-monopoly laws and/or practices encourage artistic diversity?

The best way to encourage art and innovation is to have a flourishing middle class that has leisure time, financial security, and free and unfettered access to information and communication channels.