Numbers, schnumbers: total cultural value and talking about everything that we do, even culture
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Date
2015-06-15
Authors
Meyrick, Julian
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Emerald Publishing Group
Rights
http://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/openaccess.htm
Rights Holder
© Emerald Publishing Group
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to argue for the importance of separating out three key dimensions of culture’s value – definition, measurement and cultural reporting. This has implications for the balance between quantitative and qualitative methodologies in achieving a meaningful context for interpreting numbers-based cultural data, as well as for the management of reporting regimes – the process by which value is “conferred” – by individual cultural organisations and events. It concludes with a brief sketch of a new set of priorities for assessment processes based on a less unitized, more cooperative understanding of cultural value (a Total Cultural Value exercise)
Design/methodology/approach
– This paper is a keynote address from the Global Events Congress.
Findings
– Valuation processes are comparative processes. They involve benchmarking, standardisation, unitisation and ranking. Cultural activities have an incommensurable aspect that makes them resist this kind of assessment and not infrequently make a nonsense of it. This makes it difficult for policy makers to choose between them from a resource perspective. No new proof of worth is going to change this fundamental characteristic of culture. A Total Cultural Value exercise is “allocutionary” and helps cultural programmes “make a case” based on best use of the available data and a meta-cognitive appreciation of the biases different proofs of worth involve.
Originality/value
– Total Cultural Value is a new concept developed to bring quantitative and qualitative methods for valuing arts and culture together.
Description
No author version is available for upload
(MF 8 Dec 2015)
Keywords
Creative arts, Culture, Evaluation and assessment
Citation
Meyrick, J., 2015. Numbers, schnumbers: total cultural value and talking about everything that we do, even culture. International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 6(2), 99-110.