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of these measurement techniques are provided in Snowball (2008) and O’Brien<br />

(2010).<br />

Social value<br />

Several studies have examined the relationship between participation in arts and<br />

culture and social outcomes such as increased educational attainment, reduced<br />

crime rates, health and overall well-being (Matarasso 1997; CASE 2010; Arts<br />

Council England 2014. For wellbeing see especially Fujiwara 2013 and Tepper et<br />

al 2014). Many of these outcomes are not as easily captured through the economic<br />

methods discussed above, which can only be applied effectively if individuals experience<br />

a personal benefit and can express its value in monetary terms (either in<br />

the market or in survey responses).<br />

Some of the benefits created by the arts—for example, community cohesion and<br />

civic engagement—are difficult to conceptualise on the individual level, since<br />

they are communal by their very nature (Throsby 2001, 32). In these instances,<br />

the impact of arts and culture are often reported in terms of the social outcomes<br />

that are achieved (increased graduation rates, reduced recidivism, etc.); however,<br />

some techniques have been developed in order to express social outcomes in<br />

monetary terms so as to render them comparable with other policy outcomes.<br />

Thus, studies have calculated the Social Return on Investment (SROI) for cultural<br />

activities, by consulting a wide range of stakeholders and beneficiaries and finding<br />

a financial equivalent that allows the monetary value of the benefit to be calculated<br />

(Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) and NEF Consulting 2009;<br />

BOP 2012). Another approach has been to measure people’s subjective well-being<br />

and then calculate how much more money they would need to earn in order to<br />

improve their well-being by an equivalent amount (O’Brien 2010, 34-36; CASE<br />

2010, 35-38; Fujiwara 2013). As with economic valuation techniques, several<br />

concerns have been raised about the measurement of social outcomes, primarily<br />

due to inconsistent definitions, questionable research methods and the challenge<br />

of proving causality (Belfiore 2002; Scott 2009, 207-09; Reeves 2002, 30-41)<br />

Several of the outcomes that have been discussed as social outcomes here, also<br />

affect people on the individual level, of course. First and foremost, higher levels of<br />

educational achievement benefit the students who have learned more, the people<br />

who reap the biggest gains from improved health are undoubtedly those who are<br />

able to live longer, fuller lives, and the ones who feel better about their lives are<br />

the primary beneficiaries of increased well-being. To the extent that these benefits<br />

accrue to individuals—and setting aside the costs savings and contributions that<br />

Introduction 32<br />

UNDERSTANDING the value and impacts of cultural experiences

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