ABSTRACT
Over the past decade in the United Kingdom, and in England in particular, concern with the “impact” of cultural institutions, cultural activities, and cultural policies has grown exponentially. Prompted by the government’s requirement for greater accountability within the public sector and its desire to implement evidence-based policy, this has particularly affected organizations in receipt of public funding. In the United Kingdom, these include the majority of cultural institutions.This entry considers the context within which a preoccupation with the “impact” of cultural sector institutions came about. It examines the background to the introduction of the impact assessment of cultural institutions, the requirements made of them, and the impacts considered desirable for them to exert. It explores some of the difficulties of assessing those impacts, including definitions, approaches, and the problematic relationship between assessment and advocacy. The entry closes with a discussion of developments of impact assessment within the cultural sector. The principal focus of this entry is museums in England.
