Institute for International Relations

Connecting Croatia

Connecting Croatia is a project that aims to track the interconnectivity between Croatian web-based space and the international realm of the virtual world. It further attempts to propose how this interconnectivity fosters international cultural cooperation (to which extent is a virtual platform used to establish, promote and execute projects of international cultural exchange and cooperation).

The project is to position different segments of Croatian public and cultural policy and sectors in the context of global communication, connectivity usage and ultimately conduciveness to intercultural cooperation. The main segments/sectors that will be examined are public, private and NGO.

The project's research results have been published in electronic format under the title Connecting Croatia - Public, Private and Civil Sector of Culture in the Virtual Sphere, Cvjetičanin, Biserka (ed.), Culturelink Network / IMO, Zagreb, 2008 (PDF, 1.1 MB).

Public

Objective: define relations and positions between the local and the global
This segment is to include investigation on digitalization of local communities and their presentation in the international virtual arena. The research will focus on three groups of cities (over 500.000 inhabitants, up to 100.000 inhabitants, and up to 50.000 inhabitants with special consideration given to the capital city of Zagreb) and their online presence and presentation. It will encompass the extent of incidence of cultural sector that is publicly owned and governed in the proposed online content and its usage in establishing and promoting international cultural cooperation (artists' mobility, exchange, etc.)

This segment can also include evaluation of the utilization of online ticketing and offers for international arts festivals in Croatia and these activities are reflected in the growth/decline of cultural tourism.

NGO

Objective: evaluate activities and the role of existing virtual platforms (portals and networks) for international cultural cooperation and information exchange
Most of the cultural portals and networks in Croatia operate outside the public/government structures and are independent in governing and funding. Their role in the overall national cultural sector has yet to be defined along with the evaluation of their activities in the context of creating and serving as platforms for international information and cooperation exchange.

Private

Objective: identify the extent and effect of international cooperation in cultural industries as facilitated by virtual connectivity

Cultural industries in Croatia can be possibly defined as the most successful agents of national creativity and its representation on the international scene. Namely, Croatian graphic designers are more present in the international media and creative scene than any other cultural sector representatives. The rudiments of international cooperations in the creative industries sector have been set and have already proven to be a significant building block for the development of a national creative class. The majority of the cooperation is done through the virtual space.
The project will examine these claims and situations and put them in perspective with the other segments in question (public and NGO), establishing the extent to which creative industries connect with their international correspondents and assessing the benefits for the overall national cultural and intercultural cooperation and communication.