Multi-criteria evaluation of the state of professional theatres in the Czech Republic in terms of mixed public goods provided to the citizens

Abstract

The provision of public goods is an important aspect of public sector management, and it is a subject of specific conditions. Public Goods should be provided efficiently and in accordance to consumer demand and should meet the provider's political and financial priorities as well as other obligatory commitments. An important role also play the citizens that are increasingly appealing on the provision of high-quality, accessible and cost-effective public goods in line with the principle of "value for money". The evaluation of the provided public goods is, therefore, a topical issue. A particular case would be the provision of mixed public goods. This article deals with the topic of evaluation of mixed public goods provided in the cultural sector, specifically in the field of theatres. The basis of the economic value of cultural goods (products) and services is their rarity and utility value. Major difficulties are associated with the evaluation of freely available cultural goods or cultural services provided for non-equivalent admissions. Cultural goods often are of a high spiritual value in the eyes of the public, but, at the same time, their financial value is low. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the level of mixed public goods provided by Czech professional theatres from the perspective of technical and financial availability to citizens. For the assessment of the level of provided cultural goods, the multi-criteria evaluation method WSA is used. In terms of technical and financial aspects, the results of the research demonstrate a great variability across organizations associated in the Professional Theatres Association. The organizations are ranked according to the level of provided mixed public goods from best to worst.