This article is a reply to F. F. Ridley's article Cultural economics and the culture of economists. The author traces the ways in which cultural economists have justified subsidies for the arts. He includes four major arguments for public support of the arts: efficiency, equity, formation of tastes, and merit goods. He counters the claims that economists ignore the emotional ties to the arts. Includes references.

This article is a reply to F. F. Ridley's article Cultural economics and the culture of economists. The author traces the ways in which cultural economists have justified subsidies for the arts. He includes four major arguments for public support of the arts: efficiency, equity, formation of tastes, and merit goods. He counters the claims that economists ignore the emotional ties to the arts. Includes references.