Pau Rausell Köster presents findings from Econcult's research at the inauguration of the University of Santiago de Compostela's new Institutional Chair in Cultural Management.
The impact of the cultural sector
on the sustainable economy
Pau Rausell Köster presents the evidence from Econcult's research at the inauguration ceremony of the new Institutional Chair in Cultural Management of the University of Santiago de Compostela
On 1 July 2026, Professor Pau Rausell Köster, Professor of Applied Economics and director of the Econcult research group at the Universitat de València, will deliver the inaugural lecture of the new Institutional Chair in Cultural Management of the University of Santiago de Compostela, created through an agreement with the Consellería de Cultura, Lingua e Xuventude of the Xunta de Galicia.
The invitation highlights the recognition of Econcult's track record in the field of cultural economics and consolidates the links between Spanish university groups and chairs devoted to research and knowledge transfer in cultural management.
The lecture reviews the empirical evidence accumulated by Econcult over two decades in order to answer a key question: what relationships exist between the dynamics of the cultural sectors and the rest of the economy? Drawing on European projects such as MESOC (H2020), Designscapes and the current AISECRETT (Digital Europe), Rausell will analyse the channels through which culture generates cross-cutting impacts on wellbeing, innovation and sustainability.
One of the central axes will be the Convergent Model, a theoretical framework developed by Econcult that makes it possible to trace the impact pathways of cultural activities across economic, social and environmental dimensions —from the creation of a library to climate-oriented festivals or music education programmes for children in disadvantaged situations— and their relationship with the SDGs.
The lecture will also incorporate the causal model on the spillover effects of cultural industries towards business investment in R&D and the generation of innovation in European regions, and will reflect on why these impacts differ substantially from one territory to another.
This participation is part of the strategy of the Cátedra ESPACIOS para la Cultura, la Creatividad y la Innovación —a joint initiative of the Universitat de València and the Spanish Ministry of Culture— to build and strengthen links with other Spanish university chairs and groups devoted to cultural management, impact measurement and knowledge transfer towards public policies.
The connection with the new USC Chair in Xestión Cultural adds to a line of collaboration that Econcult has been consolidating with similar structures at other universities. One relevant precedent is the collaboration with the University of La Laguna (November 2024), where members of Econcult presented the study on the impact of the cultural and creative sectors on the wellbeing of the Canary Islands population, published by the Instituto Canario de Desarrollo Cultural, in a seminar jointly organised with the Cátedra Cultura, Desarrollo y Territorio of the ULPGC.
This networking work between university chairs specialising in culture responds to the aim of building a shared space for the production and circulation of knowledge that supports evidence-based cultural planning, both at local and regional level and at state level.
Jordi Sanjuán Belda (Econcult/UV) and Tony R. Murphy (Cátedra Cultura, Desarrollo y Territorio, ULPGC) presented at the Faculty of Economics of the ULL the study «El impacto de los sectores culturales y creativos en el bienestar de la población canaria», in collaboration with the Instituto Canario de Desarrollo Cultural. The event, organised by the Vice-Rectorate for Culture of the ULL, exemplifies the model of inter-university transfer that the Cátedra ESPACIOS aims to extend.
View the event information on the ULL website →
