CULTURAL ECONOMICS AND POLICY

The course aims at providing analytical tools to examine and understand the relationship between the economic system main and the various aspects of the cultural sector, with special attention both to public intervention motivations and tools and to the economic features of private cultural markets. Alongside the theoretical analysis, the Italian cultural sector will be examined in a comparative perspective and some case studies will be investigated (Knowledge and understanding).

Students will apply their knowledge critically, also analysing official documents and data and investigating case studies in a comparative perspective (Applying knowledge and understanding).  

Analysing different theoretical approaches and using information from various types of multidisciplinary sources, students will improve their evaluation abilities in the analysis of the public and private components of the cultural sector, of its interactions with the local context and of the related policy implications (Making judgments).

The presentation of the theoretical and empirical issues of the interaction between the economic system and the cultural sector and of the policy implications will allow students to acquire adequate knowledge of technical words and terminology; oral and written communication skills will be also stimulated through classroom activities - such as discussions and seminars- and written examinations (Communication skills).

Students learning skills will be stimulated through power point presentations, additional didactic material (official documents, websites, economic newspapers and magazines) and discussions, aimed at verifying the understanding of the topics presented in the lectures.  (Learning skills).

Lectures with power point presentation, discussions in class, seminars and analysis of case studies. 

Teaching  may also be carried out on line, should the conditions require it.

Definition and measurement of cultural sector; Market failure and reasons for public intervention. Tools of public intervention and decision-making process; Demand and supply of cultural goods and activities: the role of private sector; Economic organization of cultural and creative industries; Digital creative economy; Cultural heritage; Museums; Performing arts; Valuation methodologies; Festivals, creative cities and cultural tourism; Cultural policies in a comparative perspective. 

1. R. Towse, A Textbook of Cultural Economics, Cambridge University Press, 2019:  chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. 8, 9, 10 and 11. AS ALTERNATIVE to chapters 1, 6, 8, 9 e 10 (only for par. ‘Economics of festival’) students can use G. Candela - A. Scorcu, Economia delle arti, ed. Zanichelli, Bologna, 2004, only chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 (boxes ‘L’Architetto’ are optional).
2. Symbola, Io sono cultura, Unioncamere, 2023, chapter 2 ("I numeri delle industrie culturali e creative in Italia", pp. 57-131). 
3. I. Mazza, I. Rizzo, “Scelte collettive e beni culturali”, in Valentino P.A. - G. Mossetto (eds.), Museo contro Museo, Giunti, Firenze, 2001, pp. 41-54.
4. C. Guccio, G. B. Pollicchino, S. Levi Sacerdotti, I. Rizzo “Il profilo dei turisti con motivazioni culturali: analisi comparata attraverso GPS e questionari sui visitatori del Lago d’Orta”, in V. Tomaselli, R. D’Agata (eds.), Turismo e territorio: analisi empiriche e approcci metodologici, McGraw Hill, 2012, Milano, pp. 85-98