Evaluating a Cultural Policy in the Dance Sector. Does Efficiency Always Mean Achieving Goals?

Abstract

This work aims to evaluate cultural policies, specifically in the dance sector, an area which has received scant attention in economic literature so far. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is applied to evaluate public programme performance and the stakeholders involved therein. We select a Spanish public policy supporting dance as a case study, which includes public authorities, theatres and dance companies. The former provide the funding while the others offer the artistic idea taken to the audience. We find that efficiency in resource performance often runs counter to other cultural aims such as increasing audiences or extending repertoire diversity.