As the old saying goes: “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it”. Data is critical and without it is very difficult to know whether policies and implementation are successful or not. Data can also help identify where there are policy or implementation gaps that need to be rectified. The needs to be a clearly established metric for success. This will help can quantify progress and adjust processes to produce the desired outcome. Measurement is however difficult. This is particularly so in the cultural domain.
As culture and creativity become an increasing driving force in the international marketplace, it is essential to measure their impact not only on the economy but also on society at large.
Data not only allows the status quo to be described, it also contributes to an understanding of how the status quo arose in the first place. Depending on the accuracy and sophistication of the data it can also be used for predictive analysis. Data is therefore critical when designing and implementing policies since it allows for prescriptive analytics.
According to Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) (2011) “Government, together with civil society, has a responsibility to conserve and protect our culture and heritage for current and future generations.” It goes further to state that they have a “responsibility to transmit and present our culture and heritage for social and economic development.” DAC therefore recognises the economic value of culture. Arts, culture and heritage produce goods and services of both tangible and immeasurable intangible value. However, the focus of this report is on the tangible value and how its value and contribution to the economy can be quantified more accurately.
