Beyond Price: Value In Culture, Economics, And The Arts (murphy Institute Studies In Political Economy)

How do we place a value on a painting, or a piece of music, or a traditional ritual? This book explores the tensions between economic and cultural value from a range of disciplinary viewpoints and provides many new insights into how value is constructed in contemporary society. Explores the tensions between economic and cultural value from a range of disciplines. Much recent discussion surrounding valuation of the arts and culture, particularly in the policy arena, has been dominated by a concern to identify an economic and financial basis for valuation of art works, arts, activities and more general ways in which we express our culture. Whereas a great deal can be gained from a fuller understanding of the economic value of art, there is a real danger that financial considerations will tend to crowd out all other aspects of value. This book moves beyond the limitations implicit in a narrow economic approach, bringing different disciplinary viewpoints together, opening up a dialogue between scholars about the processes of valuation that they use and exploring differences and identifying common ground between the various viewpoints. The book's common theme - the tension between economic and cultural modes of evaluation - unites the chapters, making it a coherent and unified volume that provides a new and unique perspective on how we value art xvii, 315 p., [28] p. of plates : 24 cm Includes bibliographical references and index