Rethinking the social

Critical discussion of the current debate over the social impacts of the arts in the UK. It argues that the accepted understanding of the terms of the debate is rooted in a number of assumptions and beliefs that are rarely questioned. Presentation of the interim findings of a three-year research project which aims to rethink the social impact of the arts, with a review to determining how these impacts might be better understood. The debate about the social value of art is one of the consequences of government funding of the arts. Paper presented during the Fourth international conference on cultural policy research in Vienna, from 12 to 16 July 2006.