The Economic Impact of a Cultural Activity as a Public-Support Argument: Definition and Validity Conditions
Résumé
Many cultural players regularly ask for results from studies of the economic impact of a cultural facility or event for a given area. They do it in particular in order to justify public support. However, the definition and validity conditions of the "economic-impact" rationale are little-known among these players. This article offers a reminder of these definition and conditions by using tools from economic analysis and findings from theoretical and empirical research. Breaking down the economic impact of a cultural activity for a given area into its five constituents enables to show that several constituents potentially may provide three distinct economic arguments which can be put forward to justify public support. Each being based on different assumptions, the first argument pursues a stabilization objective, the second and third ones an allocation objective. The principles of estimating the constituents in question are then reminded, in order to provide the information elements allowing to have an idea of the more or less sound nature of impact results used for justification purposes.