Policy
We want cultural policy to be shaped by rigorous research and evaluation of what works and what needs to change. We work with funders and policymakers to share relevant research, identify gaps in knowledge and offer recommendations to inform decision-making.
Photo: Barnsley Museum
Making research and evaluation count
The Centre provides robust research insights to help inform cultural policymaking. Our engagement with policy professionals is part of our wider dialogue with a diverse range of cultural practitioners, academics and funders.
Through our research digests, we highlight relevant insights from academic studies across a range of timely topics. We have previously looked in-depth at culture, health and wellbeing.
In 2024, we will focus on the themes of cultural participation and community, place and identity, drawing out key considerations for policymakers.
Our policy work is also informed by our position as a leading voice on evaluation. Our collaboratively produced Evaluation Principles provide a framework to shape how evaluation is carried out and used in the cultural sector, and we work closely with practitioners and academics to surface learning from evaluation, which can help shape decision-making.
Engaging with policymakers
We are well-connected to policymakers across the United Kingdom. They help frame the questions we ask in our research and contribute to the development of policy recommendations.
Our policy work is enriched by a placement-led approach. Through embedding our policy officer in the cultural teams of local and regional authorities, we gain valuable insight into the political and practical challenges these organisations face and their ambitions for culture in their respective constituencies.
We demystify policymaking for cultural sector practitioners and researchers. In partnership with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, we have produced a practical guide to shaping cultural policy through research.
We facilitate discussions between policymakers and practitioners, reflecting on the emerging recommendations from our research and on the changing policy landscape of funders and stakeholders.
If you are interested in finding out more about our policy work please email us at: ccv@leeds.ac.uk
