Cultural investment, local development and instantaneous social capital: A case study of a gathering festival in the South of Italy

Abstract

In this paper we show how the investment in cultural events may encourage the building of social capital and foster the development of local communities. We rely on a casestudy that we conducted about the socioeconomic impact of the Festival "La Notte della Taranta", the most important European music festival dedicated to traditional music (about 170.000 participants per year), on the sub-region of southern Italy where it is held. Our evidence is based on a large survey, consisting of nearly 10.000 interviews to Festival participants over a span of five editions (2007-2011). A primary result is that the initial economic investment in the Festival has brought a short-term return in terms of touristic attraction worth more than two times as much. More importantly, our results indicate that a cultural festival, despite being a mass gathering, is able to create strong bonds among its participants and between them and the area where the event takes place. Although these bonds are "instantaneous", i.e. temporally restricted to the duration of the event, they are positively correlated with the economic impact of the event on the territory.

Animated Times: Critical Transitions and the Maintenance of Field-Configuring Events

“…Glynn 2008) that do not recur in the same location, or, where they do has focusing on more traditional issues of their economic impact on local economic actors (e.g., Attanasi et al 2013). Our study enriches existing research by reversing the dominant perspective, and considering the important role of local stakeholders in FCE series' evolution.…”

Study of Perceptions on Cultural Events’ Sustainability

“…The impact of an event can include an assessment of the economic, social, and environmental impacts it has on the local community. The economic impact of a festival can be based on the direct expenditure and opportunity cost [20], a cost-benefit analysis of the festival, or an estimation of the local economic impact [21]. The environmental impact can be assessed using the ecological footprint [20,22], carbon calculations [20], or environmental input-output analysis [22].…”

“…The socio-cultural impact of festivals can be examined from different perspectives: in monetary terms as a non-use value [20], as the instantaneous social capital generated on its attendees [21], et cetera. Festivals encourage the building of social capital and foster the development of local communities, while culture has an important role in terms of both touristic attraction and creation of instantaneous social ties [21].…”

“…Festivals encourage the building of social capital and foster the development of local communities, while culture has an important role in terms of both touristic attraction and creation of instantaneous social ties [21]. Visitor benefits gained from attending a multicultural festival in South Korea were analyzed by Lee, Insun, and Lee.…”

Festivalscapes and the visitor experience: An application of the Stimulus Organism Response approach

“…Within the broader cultural domain, festivals may be viewed as specific events that have significant place‐related meanings. They involve a degree of organizational capacity, with a minimum duration, and are celebrated recurrently over time (Attanasi, Casoria, Centorrino, & Urso, ). From a narrower perspective, Delbosc () defined cultural festivals as representing a particular visitor segment targeted at those with strong cultural attachments to a particular cultural community.…”