Case studies by two AHC researchers feature in report highlighting influence of art and humanities evidence on policy
The report provides an insight into the policy engagement process for those working in arts and humanities disciplines.
A new report showcasing how arts and humanities research can influence policy change features case studies by two researchers from the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures at the University of Leeds.
How does Arts and Humanities research influence public policymaking? captures the positive and negative experiences of academic researchers at various career stages, and in diverse institutions across the UK, to provide an insight into the policy engagement process for those working in arts and humanities disciplines.
The responses cater to a wide range of audiences, from academics seeking role models for policy engagement, to policymakers exploring how arts and humanities research can inform their decision-making, to knowledge brokers looking for successful examples of collaboration. They also provide valuable “good news stories” of successful communication between academia and policymakers.
Two of the case studies are authored by the School of Performance and Cultural Industries’ Dr Hughie Brown, Lecturer in Cultural and Creative Industries, and Ben Walmsley, Professor and Dean of Cultural Engagement. Both illustrate successful collaborations with local and national government bodies to influence policy and funding models in ways that recognise the broader social and economic contributions of culture.
Valuing Culture
Dr Hughie Brown has been working on a theory on the value of culture for the past decade and is now exploring ways in which the theory might inform valuations of arts, culture, and heritage. As part of his efforts to build a network of industry partners for teaching purposes, Hughie has also shown the theory to several local government organisations in Yorkshire, who are interested in adopting it. For instance, Leeds City Council is discussing ways to incorporate the theory into its nascent cultural compact and related approaches to cultural policy.
The project aims to create a framework to include a valuation of arts, humanities, and culture into UK national accounts in a similar way to the Natural Capital valuations. Hughie’s work aims to inform such a valuation by incorporating non-financial valuations and providing a method by which non-financial and future financial values may be included in current accounts.
“This has the potential to end years of disquiet between AHC practitioners and policymakers about how to value AHC projects, workers, and education and to (finally) see AHC given its due estimation in public funding and discourse,” Hughie says.
The COVID-19 Response and the Cultural Industries
As then Director of the Centre for Cultural Value, Professor Ben Walmsley and his colleagues established a policy network in late 2020 to support what became the largest study of the impact of COVID-19 on the cultural industries anywhere in the world. This work led to quarterly meetings with teams from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) during the pandemic, advising on crisis responses for the cultural sector.
Later, they jointly developed and published a set of 12 recommendations and presented them at a bespoke event in the House of Lords. These recommendations include improving social security for cultural practitioners, engaging local communities in cultural forums, investing in targeted skills training, and moving away from competition-based funding models.
“DCMS, combined authorities (including Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire) and local authorities (e.g. Leeds City Council) have engaged directly with these recommendations,” Ben explains. “Some combined authorities (e.g. South Yorkshire) have since adopted ‘local voice’ in a new cultural forum, and the new Labour government has already indicated a move away from competition-based funding in its new devolution deals.” These recommendations are also being pursued by the Centre for Cultural Value in its current collaboration with Culture Commons on its UK-wide Future of Local Cultural Decision Making project.
How does Arts and Humanities research influence public policymaking? is by Arlene Holmes-Henderson, Professor of Classics Education and Public Policy, Durham University & Luke Sewell, Laidlaw Scholar and History Undergraduate, Durham University.
