New research at the Bennett Institute aims to define and measure the role and value of \u2018social and cultural Infrastructure\u2019 and develop a framework that helps understand their value and role in public life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Bennett Institute for Public Policy writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Steph Coulter and Dimitrios Panayotopoulos-Tsiros discuss why this is important and how it impacts place-based decision-making. The blog explores the challenges of defining \u2018social and cultural infrastructure\u2019 and how they overlap in function, often serving as community spaces that connect people and foster belonging. It emphasises the need to measure both the quantity and quality of these infrastructures, considering human capital and local context in their use and value. The authors propose developing a new framework to better capture the value of these spaces, focusing on their social role and place-based impact in communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In recent years, much effort has been made (here at the Bennett Institute, and elsewhere) to understand how best to measure and value non-market goods and services as well as the importance of social and cultural spaces within communities and their contribution to public life. Our nascent research project on \u2018Measuring Social and Cultural Infrastructure\u2019 brings together these two research strands to explore how the value of the UK\u2019s \u2018Social and Cultural Infrastructure\u2019 could be measured. This blog discusses the challenges related to using the terms \u2018social and cultural infrastructure\u2019, and summarises our approach to defining these concepts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n