An initial phase of desk research led to the creation of an online directory of relevant documents (about 1000) dealing with the societal impacts of culture. After this initial step, two concurrent research directions were followed in parallel: one “bottom up” (through keyword-based and semantic analyses of cultural impacts based on the contents of gathered documents, using the Natural Language Processing techniques developed by the University of Rijeka) and the other “top down” (leveraging expert knowledge of the project partners and External Advisory Board). Both approaches were then validated by a Delphi consultation exercise.
This exercise, coordinated by the University of Barcelona, involved several experts in the field of the social impact of culture from all over the world. Across three stages of consultation and debate, including online surveys and online and offline workshops, the exercise helped explore, validate and reach consensus on the enabling conditions, as well as transition variables and proxies that may be observed and measure the transformative results of cultural policies and practices.
As a result of that exercise, a list of methodological guidelines for the assessment of the social impact of culture were prepared, for possible use by public sector officials, cultural operators, and professionals willing to set up the most favorable conditions for cultural activities to achieve societal impacts.
The initial collection of documents describing the societal impacts of culture was complemented by the production of case studies, coordinated by Politecnico di Milano, in the context of the City Pilots. These were implemented in Athens, Barcelona, Cluj-Napoca, Ghent, Issy-les-Moulineaux, Jerez de la Frontera, Lublin, Milan, Rijeka, Turku, and Valencia. In collaboration with local cultural stakeholders, the societal impact areas addressed by the project were examined and discussed and the model approach proposed by MESOC was validated.
