ABSTRACT
In academic work on value, a veritable thicket of ideas and jargons can be frustrating. This chapter identifies main issues by taking stock of the value-based approach (VBA) in cultural economics relative to adjacent research fields. In contrast to most of economics, VBA proponents champion qualitative research, while seeking to promote authentic expressions of wider values rather than money and consumerism, as well as alternative modes of social co-ordination than markets or governments. In contrast to critical theory and much of contemporary sociology, VBA emphasizes subjective conceptions of value, champions individual agency to benefit communities within the current social order, and focuses less on discrimination and inequity. We conclude with specific suggestions for future work on value and values.
