Measuring the Social Dimension of Culture

ended

MESOC adapts and further develops a method for “transition based” impact assessment derived from a previous Unesco Chair publication, building a structural model of the Societal Dimension of Culture, as defined by one of the strategic objectives of the European Agenda. The model will be used in the project: - To define the perimeter of investigation of the societal value and impacts of cultural policies and practices, thus framing and guiding the collection of academic and institutional literature and the definition of a set of case studies relevant to the three crossover themes of a) Health and Wellbeing, 2) Urban and Territorial Renovation and 3) People’s Engagement and Participation; - As a theoretical lens to propose and validate, using the Delphi method, in collaboration with a large representation of key institutional, academic and professional actors, a long list of impact transmission variables and indicators reflecting the underlying approach (“theory of change”) of the surveyed case studies; - As an evaluative tool to assess the societal value and impacts of cultural policies and practices related to the three crossover themes, both diachronically and synchronically, within 10 European City pilots; - To propose a (tentative) set of statistical data sources (possibly including new ones that are practically and economically feasible) which could complement existing measures of the societal value and impacts of culture by adding its effects on personal well-being and health, citizens involvement and participation, urban identity and social cohesion. The ultimate, expected output of the project is a Free and Open Access, online service (named the MESOC Toolkit) that could be used by both researchers and practitioners (the latter including both policy makers and cultural operators from all over the EU) to measure the societal value and impacts of cultural policies and practices.