The Effect of Screen Quotas and Subsidy Regime on Cultural Industry: A Case Study of French and Korean Film Industries

There are voices in France advocating for a Korean-type screen quota system, seen as a key ingredient in Korean films’ success, and voices in Korea advocating for a French-type subsidy regime in Korea, perceived as needed in order to achieve further take-off of the Korean movie industry. This paper shows that the Korean screen quota has been irrelevant to the Korean success and that the French skyrocketing and huge subsidies have done nothing for improving the attractiveness of French movies in France. The paper concludes by suggesting that in-depth analysis of the policies pursued by the two countries is a good way to avoid a too costly trial-and-error process when designing policies related to cultural industries and to culture.