ABSTRACT
This chapter proposes a re-interpretation of the results of a recent contingent valuation study of Danish theatres. It argues that the results are difficult to interpret strictly as a rational decision grounded in the utility of the specific non-market benefits theatres provide. Instead, the results can be interpreted within the framework of a value-based approach (VBA), which posits that the non-users appreciate the theatres in their municipality, and they are willing to contribute towards it. However, their assessment is not based on utility and the calculated benefits but rather they are willing to contribute towards what is perceived as being a cultural common good: the theatre in their municipality. While this VBA interpretation is both a simple and intriguing one, and offers a pragmatic guide for practitioners, insofar as it provides directors of theatres with a new vocabulary, it remains merely an interpretation.
