Cultura e Valore Sociale: Teoria e Aspetti di Misurazione

Investments in cultural production generate value on multiple dimensions. The recent spread of a culture-based approach to development has gradually highlighted the importance of the social and intangible dimensions of culture, recognising its relevance to the achievement of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. However, despite the existence of different indicators to measure the value created by public and private actors and the development of different methodologies, a unique definition of social value does not seem to have been reached yet, and the main obstacle is to assume that it is objective and measurable in a common analytical framework. Moreover, given the lack of a precise definition and its wide application, this concept is still characterised by various interpretations and recurrent misunderstandings, in particular as regards impact assessment. The article briefly illustrates the theoretical background and how the cultural system generates social and economic value, examining the transversal contribution to development policies. In addition, the article aims to examine measurement issues, highlighting controversial issues in literature and recent developments in order to clarify methodological aspects and provide insights for the development of shared evaluation practices.