The Politics of Cultural Measurement

Melanie Davern, University of Melbourne, Australia; Vincent Dubois, Institute for Political Studies, France; Nancy Duxbury, University of Coimbra, Portugal; Arlene Goldbard, Writer, USA José Antonio González Zarandona, University of Melbourne, Australia; Sophie Hope, Birkbeck College, London, UK; M. Sharon Jeannotte, University of Ottawa, Canada; Rimi Khan, University of Melbourne, Australia Pat Lockley, Educational Technologist, UK Dave O'Brien, Goldsmiths College, University of London, UK Justin O'Connor, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Harriet Parsons, University of Melbourne, Australia José Pessoa, UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Canada; Guy Redden, University of Sydney, Australia; Polly Stupples, Massey University, New Zealand; Jamie Tanguay, John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, USA; Geoff Woolcock, Wesley Mission, Australia;  Audrey Yue, University of Melbourne, Australia; EmmaBlomkamp, University of Melbourne, Australia; Marnie Badham, University of Melbourne, Australia; Kim Dunphy, Cultural Development Network, Melbourne, Australia; Lachlan MacDowall, University of Melbourne, Australia.

This book is a collection of diverse essays by scholars, policy-makers and creative practitioners who explore the burgeoning field of cultural measurement and its political implications. Offering critical histories and creative frameworks, it presents new approaches to accounting for culture in local, national and international contexts.

Introduction: Making Culture Count; Lachlan MacdowallPART I: QUALIFYING AND QUANTIFYING CULTURAL VALUE: CRITICAL ACCOUNTS OF THE HISTORY AND POLITICS OF CULTURAL MEASUREMENT Introduction; Emma Blomkamp1. A Critical History Of Cultural Indicators; Emma Blomkamp 2. Culture, Value And Commensuration: The Knowledge Politics Of Indicators; Guy Redden 3. The Politics Of Cultural Statistics: From Legitimisation To Critique (France 1960-1990); Vincent Dubois 4. Growth And Depression In Hayek's Garden: The Emotional Language Of Accounting; Harriet Parsons5. Assessing The Cultural Impact Of Economics; Justin O'Connor 6. The Social Life Of Cultural Value; Dave O'Brien And Pat Lockley PART II: MAKING CULTURE COUNT IN POLITICAL CONTEXTS AND DISCOURSES Introduction; Kim Dunphy7. Cultural Measurement In International Development: The Need For Capacity Building In Cultural Statistics; José Pessoa 8. Creative Accounts: Reimagining Culture And Wellbeing By Tapping Into The Global Movement To Redefine Progress; Geoff Woolcock And Melanie Davern9. Making It Real: Measures Of Culture In Local Sustainability Planning And Implementation; Nancy Duxbury And Sharon Jeannotte10. Alternative Indicators Of Well-Being For Melanesia: Cultural Values Driving Public Policy; Jamie Tanguay11. Heritage As A Cultural Measure In A Postcolonial Setting; José Antonio González ZarandonaPART III: CRITICAL AND CREATIVE APPROACHES TO CULTURAL MEASUREMENT PRACTICEIntroduction; Marnie Badham12. Democratising Cultural Indicators: Developing A Shared Sense Of Progress; Marnie Badham13. The Metrics Syndrome: Cultural Scientism And Its Discontents; Arlene Goldbard14. Accounting For Art In International Development: Insights From Artists' Initiatives In Central America; Polly Stupples 15. A Holistic Framework Of Evaluation For Arts Engagement; Kim Dunphy16. New Approaches To Cultural Measurement: On Cultural Value, Cultural Participation And Cultural Diversity; Audrey Yue And Rimi Khan17. Cultural Measurement On Whose Terms? Critical Friends As An Experiment In Participant-Led Evaluation; Sophie Hope