IELTS Writing 2 Topic: Government Investment in the Arts

Government investment in the arts, such as music and theatre, is a waste of money. Governments must invest this money in public services instead. To what extent do you agree with this statement? OR

Some people think that the government is wasting money on the arts and this money could be better spent elsewhere. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Sample Answer

How to allocate fairly government’s budget for a variety of social demands from health care, infrastructure to other mental ones such as arts remains controversial. Some people insist on that that money should be earmarked more for public services and less for the arts, while others believe each area should receive an inequitable amount of spending for its unique value contributed to social development. I partly agree with the latter view for the following reasons.

Admittedly, public services are not of immediate benefit  for the entire society. The issues of health care, education, and infrastructure are always top concerns of any government that wants to recruit high-skilled labour, a strong workforce, and modern facilities. To countries, say [country’s name] still struggling with abject misery after wars, a large amount of spending for music and painting proves infeasible.

However, the need for arts is rising these days for their long-term worth, especially during the time the country is beyond the peak of economic development and gears itself towards sustainable growth. With music, painting and other kinds of arts gaining their popularity, people’s spiritual life is continuously enriched. Such cities say, Florence, Paris, and Madrid are always unforgettable destinations of millions of visitors for their spectacular artistic creations and lure them into a different world where people are away from worries and let their creativity take off. These cities are also homes to various well-known art geniuses from Picasso, Leona DeVinci to Gaudi, who led art revolutions, partly by dint of their governments’ greater appreciation of this field and bigger expenditure on it. America and Britain are, too, other examples of nations where the music industry overwhelms other key ones for their greatest generation of profit. This is again derived from their governments’ frequent organization of musical shows and festivals to attract audiences worldwide.

In a word, governments should pay more attention to key sectors when their nations are in the embryonic stage of growth, but once they escape the life of poverty, arts should have a bigger say for their mental, educational and economic merits.