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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY<br />

Over the past decade, there has been a lively debate over the<br />

many ways in which cultural activities add value to the lives of<br />

individuals and to society as a whole. Researchers and writers<br />

have produced a somewhat bewildering array of scientific<br />

studies, evaluations and policy papers advancing various conceptual<br />

frameworks and terminology for describing the value<br />

and impacts of arts and culture. This review, commissioned by<br />

Arts Council England, examines two related branches of this literature:<br />

1) how individuals benefit from attending and participating<br />

in cultural programmes and activities; and 2) the creative<br />

capacities of arts and cultural organisations to bring forth<br />

impactful programmes. By and large, the focus is on Englishlanguage<br />

literature published since the turn of the millennium.<br />

The dual focus on ‘individual impacts’ and organisations’<br />

‘creative capacity’ has proven to be a convenient means of<br />

narrowing the scope of our review. Through these two portals,<br />

we address (and hopefully clarify) several issues that emerge<br />

when research on the immediate experience of culture intersects<br />

with larger discussions of value and impacts. To situate the<br />

detailed analysis of individual impacts and creative capacity, it<br />

is first necessary to take stock of the theoretical frameworks that<br />

have been used to conceptualise ‘value’ in regards to arts and<br />

culture, and the corresponding terminology.<br />

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