SvenskaCulture and growth
Posted by Volante / / Research
On behalf of Norrbotten County, Volante Research has produced a study highlighting the connection between culture and growth within the region. The overriding question discussed in the report is how culture contributes to growth in the region, and not to investigate the exact figures in SEK.
In the study, we use the terms direct and indirect economic values. Direct economic values means measurable results, such as a business’s or an organization’s turnover.
The term indirect economic values points to the economic results that follow a business. For example, supporting tourism, attractiveness, and city profile.
Our ambition is for this method to be the first link in a chain of various explanatory factors for illustrating the connection between culture and growth.
Inspiration from environmental economics
We feel it is particularly interesting to emphasize the part of the study dedicated to a survey answered by the residents of Norrbotten County. The theoretical foundation of the survey is a method inspired by scenario methodology, often used in environmental economics. The survey will be limited to a specific institution in the county with questions concerning the importance of the institution in people’s lives and how they would value it in SEK. The results of the questionnaire will stand as one example from which the survey will discuss the economic importance of culture.
Surveys based on scenario methodology are for the most part present within studies in environmental economics. Scenario methodology is a way to include immaterial values such as access to nature in socio-economic analyses—values that are often overlooked in socio-economic calculations.
Environmental economics and cultural economics have several points of contact as both study immaterial values. In recent years, the interest for the method has also increased amongst cultural economists. In December of 2012, a thesis from Gothenburg School of Economics looked at how this method, among others, was used when describing the values of cultural institutions (Armbrecht, J. (2012), The value of cultural institutions – Measurement and description, BAS: Göteborg).
We look forward to evaluating the potential of the method in this type of context.