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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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