Cultural Policy and Social Impact Evaluation

Cultural policy encompasses the strategies and frameworks through which governments and institutions shape, support and regulate cultural activities. It operates at multiple scales, from national legislation to local initiatives, aiming to foster social cohesion, economic development, identity formation and individual wellbeing. Social impact evaluation within this field employs both quantitative and qualitative approaches to assess the outcomes of cultural programmes, ranging from economic metrics to phenomenological accounts of lived experience. Methodologies such as social return on investment and community-based participatory research seek to capture the value of culture in enriching lives, strengthening civic participation and addressing societal challenges. Globally, robust evaluation informs resource allocation, guides urban regeneration and underpins advocacy for cultural assets as indispensable to sustainable development and collective flourishing.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have repositioned cultural development as both an objective and a mechanism for a Wellbeing Economy, arguing that culture is an ever-present social asset rather than a mere engine of economic growth. Critiques of prevailing neoliberal paradigms highlight how commodification and individualism have eroded communal bonds and undervalued culture’s transformative potential. Emerging frameworks demonstrate that flourishing cultural ecosystems create shared understandings, new narratives and communal spaces essential for driving societal change. Scholars recommend embedding sustained, non-commodified support for cultural initiatives within alternative economic models—such as Doughnut Economics and foundational economy approaches—to navigate intersecting crises and foster equitable, long-term wellbeing.

Cultural Policy and Social Impact Evaluation publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in cultural policy and social impact evaluation across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Wellbeing Economy: An economic framework that prioritises human and ecological wellbeing over traditional growth metrics.

Social Return on Investment (SROI): A methodology for quantifying the social value generated by an intervention relative to the resources invested.

Austerity measures: Government policies aimed at reducing public expenditure, often leading to cuts in cultural funding.

Cultural policy: The set of principles, regulations and actions through which public bodies support, manage and evaluate cultural activities.

References

1. Culture as an objective for and a means of achieving a Wellbeing Economy. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (2023).
2. The impact of austerity measures on local government funding for culture in England. Cultural Trends (2021).
3. Subjective well-being in cultural advocacy: a politics of research between the market and the academy. Journal of Cultural Economy (2018).