Sostenuto, which brought together seven partners of a very different nature,aimed to encourage reflection on social and economic innovation in the Medspace. It enabled the experimentation, modeling and dissemination of newmanagement and organizational models in the cultural sector.With the intent of making a significant contribution and participating in theongoing mutations, all the partners made consistent efforts to open thedebate, confronting opinions, widening the thematic and geographical scopeand taking a stance. The recent crises have only reinforced the need for publicdiscussion and alternative views on development.The publication that puts the final note to the Sostenuto project, based on twocomplementary volumes, was also written from this perspective.This first volume, elaborated by the Cultural Economics Research Unit(Econcult) - University of Valencia (Spain), proposes an economic analysis ofthe relationships between culture, innovation and development in Europe andparticularly in the Med space.The results of Econcult’s research are put into perspective in the secondvolume: “Culture & Innovation(s), Europe seen from the South”, coordinated byRelais Culture Europe.