TOWARDS A WORLD REPORT ON CULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT CONSTRUCTING CULTURAL STATISTICS AND INDICATORS

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2 TOWARDS A WORLD REPORT ON CULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT CONSTRUCTING CULTURAL STATISTICS AND INDICATORS Report of the Workshop on Cutura Indicators of Deveopment Royaumont Foundation, France, 4-7 Jcnuary 1996

3 United Nations Research institute for Socia Deveopment (UNRISD) Paais des Nations CH Geneva 10, Switzerand 4 (41 22) / Fax (41 22) Teex UN0 CH E-mai: info@unrisd.org Word Wide Web Site: -iiesr United Nations Educationa, Scientific and Cutura Organization (UNESCO) 7. pace de Fontenoy F Paris 07 SP, France 3s (33 1) Fax (33 1) E-mai: ct.wcr@unesco.org Word Wide Web Site: ISSN: Copyrrght 0 UNRISD and UNESCO, 1997 Short extracts from this pubkatron may be reproduced unatered without authonzatron on condrtron that the source is rndrcated For rights of reprodudron or transatron, apprcatron shoud be made to UNRISD, Pa& des Natrons Geneva IO, Swrtzerand and UNESCO, 7. pace de Fontenoy, Paris 07 SP. France UNRISD and UNESCO wecome such apprcatrons The desrgnattons empoyed In this pubrcatron. which are In conformrty wrth United Natrons practice, and the presentatton of materra herein do not Impy the expressron of any oprnron whatsoever on the part of UNRISD or UNESCO concernrng the ega status of any country, territory, city or area or of Its authontres. or concernrng the dermrtatron of Its frontiers or boundaries The responsrbrrty for oprnrons expressed in signed artrces. studres and other contrrbutons rests soey with their authors, and pubrcatron does not constrtute an endorsement by UNRISD or UNESCO of the oprnrons expressed In them

4 foreword on Cuture and Deveopment Cuture is both the context for deveopment as we as the missing factor in poicies for deveopment Athough such interactions have ong been recognized as essentia, there has been no wordwide anaysis in this fied on which new poicies coud be based. The independent Word Commission on Cuture and Deveopment (WCCD) was therefore estabished jointy by UNESCO and the United Nations in December 1992 to prepare a poicy-oriented report on the interactions of cuture and deveopment The Commission, composed of distinguished speciaists from a regions of the word and presided by Javier Perez de Cuear, hed a series of consutations with schoars, poicy makers, artists and NGO activists on specific regiona perspectives and concerns. The ideas and data gathered during this process have provided new and powerfu insights into the reationship between cuture and deveopment wordwide. Our Creative Diversity, the report of the Commission presented to the Genera Conference of UNESCO and the Genera Assemby of the United Nations in 1995, recommended that an annua Report on Cuture and Deveopment be pubished as an independent statement addressed to poicy makers and other interested parties. As highighted in Our Creative Diversity, economic, governance and socia activities are deepy embedded in the vaue systems and practices of societies. Their impact on the form and content of deveopment is pervasive and profound. There is an urgent need to anayse and monitor the evoution of interactions such as: economic growth, cuture and gobaization; ethics, democracy and deveopment objectives; ethnic conficts, indigenous peopes and the rights of minorities; environment and inter-generationa ethics; vaues, customs and gender, cuture and the growth of cities; and cuture and the information highway. The preparation of a Word Cuture Report wi open up a new fied in anaytica and quantitative thinking on the reationship between cuture and deveopment whie providing scientific and creative inputs that wi inform poicy makers. This requires that tasks of an exporatory nature, both conceptuay and in terms of creating quantitative indicators on cuture and deveopment, be combined with the wide-ranging coection of existing data and statistics on this theme. For this reason, the cose coaboration of muti-discipinary agencies, such as UNESCO and UNRISD, is crucia. The joint UNRISD-UNESCO series of Occasiona Papers on Cuture and Deveopment is a first step in faciitating and catayzing an internationa debate on cuture and deveopment based on high-quaity research. The present paper inaugurates the series by presenting a summary of discussions at the Royaumont Workshop. Readers wi find a weath of information on the issues brought out by members of the advisory group, incuding what might be measured by cutura indicators, how cutura indicators might be constructed and data

5 constraints overcome, the desirabiity of aggregating statistica data, and a preiminary ist of indicators. Thus the present paper aso provides vauabe background for future papers in the series. A Word Cuture Report that takes an attractive and innovative approach to the quantification of crucia cutura phenomena can have profound impications for goba deveopment and internationa peace, security and we-being. Quantitative indicators in this area deserve greater attention at a eves of deveopment action, for they can contribute to the dissemination throughout the word of a message of respect for creative diversity, equity and peace. Lourdes Arizpe Assistant Director-Genera for Cuture, UNESCO Member of the Word Commission on Cuture and Deveopment Dharam Ghai Director. UNRISD January 1997

6 Contents I. Introduction... 1 A. Changing views of cuture in deveopment B. The need for quantitative cutura data and indicators II. Constructing Cutura Indicators of Deveopment....5 A. What is to be measured by cutura indicators of deveopment? B. An innovative presentation of data....6 C. Overcoming the probems of data avaiabiity and quaity D. Criteria for seection of indicators I. Aggregating Statistica Data Reated to Cuture and Deveopment A. Desirabiity and feasibiity An innovative approach: Life expectancy as an integrating concept in cutura anaysis IV. Possibe Themes of a Word Report on Cuture and Deveopment A. Gobaization (or Gobaization, media, communications and cuture) B. Vioence and a cuture of peace (or Ethnic vioence and cutura puraism) C. Cuture and economic progress D. Creativity (or Cutura vitaity) V. A Few Parting Words Appendices , Appendix I Text of the Commission s recommendation on an annua Word Report on Cuture and Deveopment Appendix II List of participants......_ Appendix III Preiminary ist of indicators * A. Introduction B. Indicators in the area of goba ethics C. Indicators in the area of cutura vitaity D. Indicators in the area of cutura diversity, cutura gobaization and management of puraism E. Iuminating negected connections: Heath, cuture and deveopment Appendix IV Avaiabe sources of data and indicators A. Work on statistics and indicators B. Avaiabe data C. Atases and maps

7 T I. Introduction he Word Commission on Cuture and Deveopment, created in 1992 under the joint auspices of UNESCO and the United Nations and presided by Javier Perez de Cuear, presented its report, entited Our Creative Diversity, to the Genera Conference of UNESCO and to the United Nations Genera Assemby in November Behind this report ies the motivation that the major probem facing individuas and communities in a rapidy changing word is that of promoting and adjusting to equitabe change without denying the vauabe eements in their traditions. Our Creative Diversity is therefore about providing present and future generations of humanity with the toos to meet this chaenge, to broaden their knowedge, to discover the word in its diversity, and to aow a individuas to ead a ife that is decent, dignified and wise, without osing their identity and sense of community, and without betraying their heritage. In this vein, the Commission outined an Internationa Agenda, the aims of which are threefod: first, to provide a vehice through which issues of cuture and deveopment are discussed and anaysed at the internationa eve; second, to initiate a process in which principes and procedures that are a commonpace within nations are extended to the internationa and goba arena; and, third, to create a forum where an internationa consensus on centra issues reated to cuture and deveopment can be achieved. The Commission thus recommended that UNESCO sponsor an independent team to produce and pubish an annua Word Report on Cuture and Deveopment, aong the ines of the Human Deveopment Report (pubished annuay by the United Nations Deveopment Programme), in order to: a> survey recent trends in cuture and deveopment, drawing on a research programme invoving severa internationa institutions; b) monitor events affecting the state of cutures wordwide; c) construct and pubish quantitative cutura indicators; d) highight good cutura practices and poicies at oca, nationa and internationa eves, as we as expose bad practices and unacceptabe behaviour; and e) present an anaysis of specific themes of genera importance, with poicy suggestions, The fu text of the Commission s recommendation appears in Appendix I. A Word Report on Cuture and Deveopment woud serve as a cutura and ethica counterpart to UNIX s Human Deveopment Report containing comparative data reating to cuture and deveopment. The report woud aim to be creative and innovative in its approach and methods, Word Commission on Cuture and Deveopment, Our Creative Diversity, UNESCO, Paris, Word Commission on Cuture and Deveopment, op. cit., p

8 unrisd-unesco octcrsiono pcper no. 1 and be based on hard data and the most rigorous research techniques. The set of quantitative indicators woud be pubished annuay to iuminate the reationships between cuture and deveopment and monitor events affecting the state of cutures wordwide. This recommendation was generay wecomed by UNESCO Member States at a first informa roundtabe hed to discuss Our Creative Diversity during the 28th Genera Conference in November 1995, with severa deegations expressing enthusiasm about the project. However, some scepticism was expressed about the feasibiity of bringing out an annua report simiar to the Human Deveopment Report because of the difficuty of coecting data on cuture and deveopment; a preiminary review of the possibiity of bringing out such a report was therefore caed for. As a first step in foowing up the Commission s recommendation, and in order to make a preiminary appraisa of the possibiities of bringing out a Word Report on Cuture and Deveopment, a panning workshop on Cutura Indicators of Deveopment was hed from 4 to 7 January 1996 at the Royaumont Foundation (France) to pan the research and methodoogy (see List of Participants in Annex II). The purpose of the workshop was to commence assessing the state of cutura statistics wordwide, based on UNESCO s ong experience in this area, and begin devising quantitative indicators that woud aow monitoring of events affecting cuture and deveopment A. Changing views of cuture in deveopment Our Creative Diversity refects a dramatic evoution in understanding of the roe of cuture in deveopment. An earier orthodoxy in deveopment economics maintained that traditiona cutures, more often than not, were a hindrance to modemization, deveopment and economic growth. If a country wished to progress, it had to shed the baast of traditiona customs and institutions. It foowed that the sooner the infuence of the inherited cuture coud be neutraized, the better. This view has recenty been repaced by a contrasting view: that traditiona cutures, in a their richness, variety and creativity, shoud be treated with respect; and that they can make an important contribution to deveopment They shoud aso be regarded as potentia sources of wisdom that modemizers have a too often been disposed to overook since they contain vaues of soidarity and creativity that are actuay vita for the deveopment process. Certain practices, however, can hamper deveopment if they undermine human rights or marginaize or excude women or targeted groups of peope from the deveopment process. Moreover, traditiona cutures are not static but are continuay evoving, and their features have to be judged according to a universa standard of ethics. In the ast decade of the twentieth century it is particuary timey to raise the eve of internationa discourse on issues of cutura confict Ethnic cashes in some countries ca for cearer thinking about strategies to promote peacefu co-existence between resurgent oca cutures. There is aso an urgent need to ensure that 2

9 towards o word report on cuture and deveopment cutura diversity is not swamped by the revoution in goba communications the information highway. brought about by Workshop participants agreed with the view expressed in Our Creative Diversity that deveopment embraces not ony access to goods and services, but aso the opportunity to choose a jz, satisfying vauabe and vaued way of iving together, the fourishing of human existence in a its forms and as a whoe. Even the goods and services stressed by the narrower, conventiona view are vaued because of what they contribute to our freedom to ive the way we vaue most Cuture, therefore, however important it may be as an instrument of deveopment, cannot utimatey be reduced to a subsidiary position as a mere promoter of economic growth. The roe of cuture is not merey to serve ends - though in a narrower sense of the concept this is one of its uses - cuture is the socia basis of the ends themseves. Deveopment and the economy are part of a peope s cuture. Unike the physica environment, where we dare not improve on the best that nature provides, cuture is the fountain of our progress and creativity. Once we shift our view from the purey instrumenta roe of cuture to awarding it a constructive, constitutive and creative roe, we have to see deveopment in terms that encompass cutura growth. 6. The need for quantitative cutura data and indicators Whie other issues - such as economics, poitics, environment, popuation, women, poverty and socia deveopment - have received much internationa attention, it has taken 20 years for the inkage of cuture to deveopment to be grasped as a major poicy concern and for cuture to be recognized as the ast frontier of deveopment During this time, there has been ony very sow progress in creating hard data on this inkage. Our Creative Diversity provides the conceptua frame of reference necessary for further research. The present chaenge is to operationaize this framework, provoking new thinking on methodoogy and concepts, as we as providing convincing hard data for poicy makers in areas such as cutura rights, goba ethics, gender roes and so on. UNESCO has systematicay coected statistics on cuture wordwide for many years. Yet the comparabiity and reiabiity of data have not aowed comprehensive anaysis. This task shoud now receive renewed attention in Member States. A Word Report on Cuture and Deveopment coud deveop nove anayses that woud be usefu for poicy-oriented debates. It woud foow in the footsteps of earier pioneers, such as UNESCO s Word Education and Science Reports and Reports on Communication and Information For many years now, the Word Bank in its annua Word Deveopment Report, has pubished internationay comparabe Word Deveopment Indicators whie, since 1990, the United Nations Deveopment Programme, in its annua Human Deveopment Report, has pubished internationay comparabe Human Deveopment Indicators. 3

10 unrisd-unesco occasiona paper no. 1 There was agreement that the Commission s recommendation provided UNESCO with a unique opportunity to bring its own voice and experience to bear on internationa discussions concerning deveopment A Word Report on Cuture and Deveopment woud be a unique opportunity to devise statistica indicators that shed ight on inkages that have ong been ignored, to the detriment of peope s cutura ife everywhere. UNESCO, as an internationa institution, has a particuar responsibiity to take a coser ook at deveopment from the viewpoint of its many fieds of speciaization, notaby cuture. One of the saient features of many current cutura processes in the word is the dua dynamics of fission, as ong repressed cutures find new ife, and fusion, as numerous cutures are increasingy inked in a common ground by teespace and cyberspace. The coection of statistica data in its fieds of competence is part of UNESCO s mandate. UNESCO payed a pioneering roe in the fied of cutura statistics, conducting the first surveys in that area. The importance of data coection was re-emphasized at UNESCO s most recent Genera Conference. This historic roe has provided the institution with a good dea of the necessary data and considerabe experience upon which to base a Word Report on Cuture and Deveopment. UNESCO coud buid on its experience to greatest advantage by using a Word Report on Cuture and Deveopment as a vehice for creating the instruments, both conceptua and statistica, to iuminate the reationships between cuture and deveopment. Whie the immediate need is to examine criticay the inks of cuture to deveopment, on the basis of hard data, and to assess the possibiities of creating cutura indicators based on statistica data, the ong-term aim is to open new ines of enquiry at the internationa eve, through co-operation with other UN agencies. The presence of participants from UNDP and UNRISD at the Royaumont workshop testified to this concern. An abundance of information can be drawn from the experience of other institutions as we. Severa projects have recenty been aunched to broaden the framework of statistica study in the context of the European Community (e.g. studies on participation on the initiative of France, and recent European meetings on cutura statistics). The Austraian and Canadian governments have begun coecting and pubishing statistics on cutura heritage and identity. Such experiences, however, remain geographicay and thematicay imited. 4

11 towards o word report on cuture and deveopment II. Constructing Cutura Indicators of Deveopment A. What is to be measured by cutura indicators of deveopment? A Word Report on Cuture and Deveopment coud take up the definitions deveopment adopted in Our Creative Diversity: of cuture and Deveopment refers to human deveopment. That is, the utimate purpose of deveopment is to enarge human capabiities, expand the set of choices open to each individua and enabe each person to ive the ife of his or her choice. But Our Creative Diversity aso proposed a new perspective, i.e., defining deveopment as a dimension of cuture, and not the reverse - in recognition of the fact that a forms of deveopment are utimatey determined by cutura vaues. Cuture, defined broady, goes we beyond the usua meaning of a deveoped understanding of iterature, art, music and so forth to encompass everything that makes up a way of ife. This anthropoogica sense of cuture refers to the way peope ive together, interact, compete and co-operate. That is, it refers to humankind and thus comprises both the individua and the coective dimensions of our ives. In addition to the human deveopment standard, based on advancing individua achievements in human we-being, a more cuturay defined approach to human deveopment woud emphasize what might be caed, for want of a better term, cutura we-being. What woud be desirabe woud be socia and cutura reations between peope that are more participatory, more equitabe, more creative, more puraistic, more communicative, more cohesive and more cooperative. Cuture has a coective or communa dimension that coud compement more individuaistic perspectives in deveopment data. Such indicators of we-being woud iustrate and eaborate on the main messages of Our Creative Diversity, such as commitment to puraism, respect of internationay recognizabe principes of conduct, promotion of cutura diversity as a source of creativity, participation and empowerment of oppressed minorities or groups, and so forth. A Word Report on Cuture and Deveopment woud aim to describe and evauate the mutua inks existing between cuture and deveopment that have heretofore been negected to the detriment of peope s cutures everywhere. Yet cutura diversity cannot be advocated merey for the sake of diversity. Some cutura practices are not conducive to human deveopment Wife-beating, genita mutiation, femae infanticide and debt bondage are practices that may be cuturay sanctioned in certain societies, but do not promote human capabiities. We shoud be concerned not ony that a peope s cuture has enabed them to ive together within their communities and with other communities, but aso that it has enabed them to ive together we. By creating evauative indicators for good or bad practices, 5

12 cutura we-being or vitaity coud be monitored.3 For exampe, countries coud be ranked according to their poicies and expenditure on preservation of cutura heritage sites, inguistic poicies, and so on. Such an approach is indeed nove. It is aso sorey needed to understand many current word events such as ethnic conficts, vioence reated to cutura confrontation or gender, cutura changes reated to technoogica innovation and the gobaization of information systems. Specific indicators, incuding patterns of anguage used as first and second anguages, changes in taste and ife-stye as a resut of economic gobaization, and iicit internationa traffic in art objects woud be very usefu for poicy-making. Indicators of cuture and deveopment woud aid poicy evauation for states and key decision makers around the word, whie constituting a reference for participants in civi society, artists, community activists and disempowered and disenfranchised groups. 6. An innovative presentation of data Any attempt to buid numerica indicators entais a choice of the unit ofobsematz on: a) The nation state is generay the unit of observation in internationa statistics. This weestabished practice shoud be foowed in a Word Report on Cuture and Deveopment. However, amost a states are muti-cutura, muti-ethnic and muti-ingua, containing a mutipicity of reigions and ways of ife. It thus foows that cutura indicators that are simpe nationa averages may be seriousy miseading. Nationa data may thus require disaggregation: the need to disaggregate separate cutura indicators into meaningfu subcategories by incorporating eements of distribution in each of the indicators chosen - e.g. ife expectancy of a minority group as a percentage of average ife expectancy - shoud be considered in preparing a Word Report on Cuture and Deveopment b) The opposite probem aso arises. Many cutura phenomena cross internationa borders. Ethnic, inguistic and other groups are frequenty transnationa and cannot be ocated within the borders of a specific nation state. How best to represent this aspect of our goba cutura reaity remains uncear. The advisory group suggested that the Word Report on Cuture and Deveopment make extensive use of maps, geo-referencing cutura data to broaden our understanding of how cutures evove and interact in a goba society. In some cases, indicators are readiy avaiabe or can be easiy derived from existing data. In others, simpe indicators are not enough: quaitative assessment and discussion of the observed phenomena are aso necessary. By virtue of its subject, a Word Report on Cuture and Deveopment woud need to be creative and innovative enough in its methods and format to bridge the gap between the visibe and the invisibe, the tangibe and the intangibe, the materia 3 A conceptua anaysis of these tetms is being prepared. 6

13 towords o word report on cuture and deveopment and the spiritua. It woud need to iustrate intercutura trends that transcend nationa borders, and represent events affecting cutura diversity that are inscribed within smaer units. The advisory group thus agreed that cutura indicators of deveopment shoud be based on a broad array of data, evauative and descriptive and both directy and indirecty quantifiabe, which woud be represented in a variety of forms: figures, maps, photographs and case studies, for exampe. Regiona or word maps woud be particuary usefu for representation of transnationa and goba trends. Maps coud aso be used to iuminate trends in internationa cutura patterns, migrations and cutura diasporas, as we as inguistic diversity. Tabes coud be used to ist countries signatories to internationa instruments concerned with the preservation of cutura heritage and the rights of cutura minorities and women. Case studies coud iustrate different forms of famiy and community interaction and the impact of cuture on communa soidarity and security (as in the case of street chidren). Photographs coud be used to represent visuay cuturay meaningfu phenomena, such as different types of habitats and patterns of residence (incuding for the homeess). C. Overcoming the probems of data avaiabiity and quaity UNESCO s experience of cutura censuses and surveys has generated awareness of the difficuty invoved in coecting reiabe cutura statistics. Whether for statistics on book production, museums, ibraries, mass media, performing arts, archiva institutions or cutura financing, significant probems and biases exist: geographica imbaance (preponderance of European statistics; the unique use of statistics in decision-making in France); ack of standardization; unreiabiity of some institutiona statistics; reporting fatigue evidenced in ow response rates (as for media, ibraries or performing arts); probems of comparabiity of statistics; paucity of statistics at the oca eve; definitiona overaps (as between ibraries and audio-visua, performing arts and music); evoving definitions (e.g. eectronic books ). Most troubing, perhaps, are the probems resuting from variations in cutura practices: e.g. reading habits are notoriousy difficut to define, especiay because of the poor correation between what the pubic buys and what it reads, as we as between circuation and readership (the atter can be much wider than the former woud suggest, because of habits of pubic reading and transation, as, for instance, in Kenya). The advisory group was particuary aware of the difficuties of coecting reiabe and comparabe data, as we as of interpreting data. However, it was noted that a Word Report on Cuture and Deveopment coud rey on a weath of existing data and indicators. UNESCO s Sector for Cuture, in particuar, is a mine of untapped hard data on cuture. The Index Transationurn project, for exampe, which has records of transations over the ast five decades, coud provide accurate data on trends in anguage dissemination around the word. 4 A detaied picture can be found in Kar Hochgesand, UNESCO s Work on Cutura Statistics, a paper presented at the Workshop on Cutura Indicators of Deveopment (Royaumont, 4-7 January 1996). 7

14 unrisd-unesco occasiona paper no. 1 The inaccuracy or current unavaiabiity of statistica data shoud not deter efforts to use quantification to investigate phenomena that might otherwise escape observation; in any use of statistics, there is a trade-off between accuracy and meaningfuness. Efforts at quantifying crucia cutura phenomena with profound impications for goba deveopment, peace, security and webeing shoud not be dismissed on the grounds that data are not avaiabe. The process of coecting and anaysing data shoud thus begin as soon as possibe, supported by a strong poitica wi and by adequate financia commitment from foundations and Member States. Over time, eary Reports on Cuture and Deveopment wi be strengthened by newer, better, more precise and more innovative data as the usefuness of such data becomes cearer. 0. Criteria for seection of indicators Indicators shoud meet a number of criteria: a> They shoud not be dependent on market performance, as are GDP data. b) They shoud avoid measures that assume that a countries wi inevitaby deveop aong the same ines as the deveoped countries. They shoud therefore be sensitive to cutura diversity. c> They shoud avoid measures that are excessivey ethnocentric, e.g. the concept of cutura heritage shoud encompass criteria used to define it in different cutures. d) They shoud probaby not be based on absoute minima, e.g. nutrition. e> They shoud be sensitive to distribution by groups, gender, ethnicity and so on (unike average per capita GDP). D They shoud end themseves to internationa comparison. g> They shoud be simpe and readiy understandabe. In some cases, giving ranges and/or degrees of confidence may be required to provide a measure of their reiabiity.5 Mahbub u Haq noted, [from... experience with the... HDI [Human Deveopment Index1 components, I woud ony urge the choice of very few, simpe indicators with extensive country coverage; the usua temptation to oad the index with mutipe and compex choices must be resisted. He gave exampes of the most easiy avaiabe indicators in the Human Deveopment Report data base, whie acknowedging that they may not be the most reveaing or the most reevant: number of books (per 1,000 popuation); number of museum visits (per 1,000 popuation); daiy newspaper circuation (per 1,000 popuation); number of educationa teevision programmes; budget expenditure on cutura deveopment These stringent criteria impose obvious imits on the types of data and indicators that may be used in an internationa report Two basic approaches were thus suggested by the advisory group. The first consisted in seecting readiy avaiabe cutura data derived from contemporary sources 5 Two sources of confidence can be identified: reiabiity of the source and intrinsic pausibiity; -5 woud mean an uttery impausibe indicator from a very reiabe source, whie 5-1 woud mean a highy pausibe indicator from an uttery unreiabe source. 8

15 towards o word report on cuture and deveopment (such as figures on anguages in danger of disappearing, cuture of refugee popuations, etc.) which have deveopment impications. The second consisted in giving a cutura twist to existing conventiona indicators (such as iteracy and ife-expectancy) by disaggregating them aong cutura criteria (ethnic@, reigion, age group, etc.) or by aggregating them across countries (as the units of observation coud be transnationa06 The advisory group identified three areas for which reevant indicators shoud be constructed, based on the principa messages of Our Common Future: a> Goba ethics (evauative indicators), to evauate the extent to which certain basic universa rights and freedoms (human rights, poitica rights, minority rights, essentia needs) are respected in different countries. b) Cutura vitaity (evauative indicators), to evauate the vitaity of cutures using conventiona cutura deveopment indicators (iteracy, cutura diversity of media content, popuar arts and crafts, preservation of cutura heritage, access to and participation in cutura performances and activities, incuding festivas and so on>. c) Cutura diversity, cutura gobaization and management of puraism (descriptive indicators of access, participation and equity reated to cutura diversity). Among these three types of indicators, the first two categories provide descriptive information (e.g. diversity of a nationa society, penetration of goba cuture), whie the third category is more directy concerned with poicies and aws. There is a need to document the conditions that aow diversity to exist in particuar:. protection of minority rights (e.g. the right to speak native anguages and to be taught in them);. poitica and institutiona representation; one key mechanism for managing confict is designing systems of representation that aow for the poitica presence of minorities and offer aternatives to the rue of a singe dominant cuture. These three areas, with additiona proposas made in the course of the workshop, are presented in Appendix III. The advisory group made innovative suggestions to that effect (see Appendix III) and proposed that compiing new data, which is time-consuming and costy, shoud begin as soon as possibe. 9

16 unrisd-unesto occasiona poper no. 1 I. Aggregating Statistica Data Reated to Cuture and Deveopment A. Desirabiity and feasibiity he advisory group expressed various opinions on the possibiity and desirabiity of aggregating T separate cutura indicators of deveopment into a singe composite indicator simiar to the Human Deveopment Index. On the one hand, aggregation is ony vaid if there exists a strong correation between the eements of an indicator. But in that case any one of the indicators woud be sufficient and aggregation unnecessary. If, on the other hand, correation between different indicators were ow, one woud wish to know why, and hence woud separate them. In the case of cutura indicators chosen arbitrariy, such a correation is ikey to be ow, in part because cutura phenomena tend to be sporadic (as in the case of vioence, or retreat from democracy) and asynchronous. In order to justify averaging, components woud need to be chosen with care and a cear rationae set out justifying aggregation and pacing separate indicators on a positivenegative scae. In the case of the Human Deveopment Index, the rationae for bringing together indicators on iteracy, ife expectancy and income was ceary stated: iving onger is better than iving a short ife, iteracy is better than iiteracy and materia comfort is better than materia deprivation. Simiar reasoning coud be appied to certain cutura variabes: preservation of cutura heritage, coective participation in the arts and festivas, knowedge of a ingua franca as a second anguage, (minima) goba ethics, and so on. By contrast, however, other cutura variabes may not end themseves to positive-negative rating: the consumption of certain goods, for exampe, may be considered positivey or negativey. The credibiity of a singe composite index of cuture and of the cutura biases inherent in ranking countries on the basis of cutura practices coud aso pose probems. Possibe soutions to the probems raised by aggregation incude: a) Creating a singe composite index based on a imited number of variabes sensitive to positivenegative rating and averaging, and on a centra unifying, normative concept. The concept of cutura we-being was thought by some to have the quaities required, with a ranking determined by whether a given indicator contributed more, or ess, to cutura we-being in a given country. The argument woud be simiar to a traditiona economic needs approach.7 b) Creating severa partia indicators on issues sensitive to positive-negative rating and averaging according to a rationae simiar to the above. Categories proposed were cutura vitaity, cutura puraism and cutura creativity. c) Not creating any composite indicators, presenting instead a set of separate, reiabe indicators. Four arguments were advanced in favour of this option: first, poor avaiabiity of data; second, 7 One participant expressed a preference for rating cutura i-being, because of the greater avaiabiity of quantifiabe data on negative practices and of the greater visibiity of negative indexing. 10

17 towards Q word repoct on cuture and deveopment inappicabiity of a goba concept or concepts (whie one coud measure separate dimensions of cuture, one cutura standard coud not be appied to a cutures without risking the imputation of cutura imperiaism ); third, difficuty of ranking; fourth, such an approach makes it possibe to investigate the reationship between different indicators, e.g. freedom and crime, democracy and toerance of minorities, or diversity and number of patents registered (as an index of technoogica innovation). The advisory group agreed that one or more composite indicators woud be desirabe to ensure that the statistica data in a Word Report on Cuture and Deveopment coud be used for poicymaking purposes. Aggregation has the merit of unifying different dimensions of deveopment It was noted that there exists a precedent for such a composite index: the 1979 Physica Quaity of Life Index or PQLI, which was inspired by the need to have a yardstick of measurement of webeing (athough it in fact measured quantities - ife expectancy and education). A singe and simpe indicator woud aso be of vaue for monitoring the state of cutures wordwide, and woud provide a dramatic summary of the situation. The disadvantages of attributing weights to separate components of a composite index coud be offset if the individua eements were criticay evauated in the Word Report on Cuture and Deveopment and the method of aggregation carified therein. Mahbub u Haq has noted, in reation to the Human Deveopment Index: Severa critics have suggested that it is better to produce a series of separate indicators to document different aspects of socia progress rather than a composite index - which raises serious issues about the weights chosen or the methods used for compiing the index This is academic puritanism taken too far, for the same criticism can appy to a composite indices - particuary GDP. Moreover, practica considerations dictate the evoution of a composite index: busy poicy makers cannot absorb a host of separate socia indicators pointing in a directions. For any usefu poicy index, some compromises must be made. But such compromises must not sacrifice the professiona integrity of the broad picture that the composite index intends to convey. Incusion of a cutura component in the Human Deveopment Report, in addition to education, heath and decent standard of iving, is being considered. The two principa arguments for a composite index are, first, that it brings out the shortcomings of aternative singe indexes, such as GDP. and second, that it highights certain features for poicy makers, journaists and the pubic in a form that can be easiy grasped. Whie it is highy desirabe, a composite index raises important issues of feasibiity. First, the normative concept to be measured must be determined. Cutura deveopment seems impractica; cutura we-being or a simiar measure of cutura wefare seems more promising. Cutura we-being is the wefare peope derive from consuming, participating in or creating cutura objects and activities. Cutura we-being is subjective in the sense that, even if such Mahbub u Haq, Refections on Human Deveopment, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1995, pp

18 unrisd-unesto occasiona pope, no. 1 feeings are normativey reguated by cutures, particuar individuas derive gratification from different objects and activities. The cutura we-being of an individua depends, therefore, on the vaue this individua attaches to different objects and activities, and on their voume. The objects and activities that give rise to cutura we-being woud be those that are vaued in themseves, not as instruments for achievement of something ese. It is possibe, therefore, to make a ist of items from which, one supposes, individuas derive cutura gratification. Such items woud incude consumption of certain cutura products, participation in some cutura activities, and the creation of such objects and activities, It woud aso be possibe to see which of any such items go together (in the statistica sense) once they are aggregated at the country eve. The resut, when interpreted, woud provide dimensions of cutura we-being. As Adam Przeworski noted at the workshop, however, the difficuties with such concepts of wefare are we-known. Aggregation of individua we-beings into a unique coective index is possibe ony under strong assumptions. If individuas have medding preferences (they care what other peope do), iberty cannot be satisfied together with the Pareto principe. More generay, aggregating individua we-beings is possibe ony under strong assumptions of cardinaity and interpersona comparisons. However, these assumptions are made when taking per capita income as an index of economic deveopment or averaging individua Human Deveopment Indexes. Prasanta Pattanaik contributed to the workshop a preiminary study on the technica statistica difficuties raised by such an aggregation. Thus, whie it is possibe to choose separate pausibe cutura and socia variabes (such as schooing, number of fims watched, number of operas watched), and whie we can rank each of these variabes to represent inter-individua or intergroup inequaity of distribution, does cutura we-being necessariy decrease when inequaities with respect to some or a of the variabes (education, fims and operas) increase? If the inequaity resuts from discrimination, the answer woud be yes. If, on the other hand, it is due to choice, the interpretation of this inter-individua or inter-group inequaity may not be so obvious (uness one attaches a vaue to access to education as a marker of we-being). Workshop participants agreed that a feasibiity study shoud be carried out to expore further the aggregation of statistica data, taking into account possibe objections. The study shoud: identify a centra concept or concepts that might end themseves to a goba or partia ordering of countries; identify the avaiabe data; and expore the issue of ranking (using rank numbers as the basic unit of measurement). 9 Prasanta Pattanaik, Cutura Indicators of We-Being: Some Conceptua Issues. Paper presented at the Workshop on Cutura Indicators of Deveopment (Royaumont. 4-7 January 1996). 12

19 towards o word report on cuture and deveopment 6. An innovative approach: ife expectancy as an integrating concept in cutura anaysis Pau Streeten suggested an innovative approach to cutura indicators of deveopment, which woud trace ife expectancy sequences for the average person in certain categories. Tota ife expectancy woud be divided into segments: time spent at schoo, at work, in cutura activities, in eisure, in retirement Another sequence coud trace how ong a new-born chid might remain unempoyed (given unempoyment rates of the year), and how ong in such undesirabe states as incapacitation, prison, or unpensioned retirement (based on current experience). It woud be possibe to trace cuture in how ong a person is singe, married, widowed, divorced; how ong heathy, in hospita, on a psychiatrist s couch; how ong free, in prison, on paroe. For instance, an increase in the number of university students woud increase the time that a chid born today coud expect to spend at a university and thus reduce his or her expectation of unempoyment It woud be possibe to sum these periods into a singe wefare (or ifare ) index These coud be disaggregated for maes and femaes, rich and poor, rura and urban residents, minorities. Age-specific rates for the states concerned coud aso be cacuated, as coud hours per week, month or year spent seeping, traveing to work, at eisure. One coud aso incude the number of chidren, marriages, accidents, arrests or burgaries. One might aso trace the time spent on various cutura activities, such as going to the theatre, opera, concerts, reading books, going to museums, attending socia events (but probaby not watching teevision). An aggregate indicator based on the notion of an acceptabe state over a ifetime coud thus be constructed. There woud be imits to such an approach. Many important indicators simpy coud not be transformed into time sequences expressed as a proportion of ife expectancy. These might incude income distribution, security, bureaucratic power, poice protection or brutaity, corruption, participation and poution. T IV. Possibe Themes of a Word Report on Cuture and Deveopment he Word Commission on Cuture and Deveopment recommended that, besides a survey of recent trends, each report coud expore in depth one particuar theme. It recommended for consideration the foowing themes: vioence reated to cuture and ethnic& new forms of cutura expression; cutura heritage; economic growth and cutura diversity; cuture and gobaization; the cutura impact of new technoogies; art and cutura ife; cuture as a sector of the economy; progress in the recognition of cutura and gender rights; cutura content in the media; the use of cutura impact assessments for deveopment decision-making; and the state of the word s anguages and anguage poicy across the word.

20 unrisd-unesto occasiona paper no. 1 The advisory group fet that the themes shoud be reevant to UNESCO s ongoing activities and to the themes of internationa meetings to be conducted as a foow-up to Our Creative Diversity - the Artists Conference (1997). the Cutura Poicy Conference (1998), and the Cuture and Deveopment Summit (1999). Most participants agreed that a Word Report on Cuture and Deveopment shoud dea with major poicy-reevant topics, athough it was suggested that the caendar shoud not dictate the theme if this woud prevent the report from deaing with another topica issue. Workshop participants discussed a number of possibe themes. They are presented here syntheticay under goba headings. A. Gobaization (or Gobaization, media, communications and cuture) Lourdes Arizpe emphasized the importance of this theme, both in terms of anaysis of impacts of gobaization, media and communications on cutura patterns, and the processes and dynamics of goba cutura knowedge and cutura differentiation. Specific topics addressed in this connection coud incude: The future of cutura diversity; The cutura effervescence of cities (the growth of urban areas being one of the most important historica changes of this century, according to some historians); The cutura impact of new technoogies (e.g. the Internet); The effect of internationa conventions and agreements on the preservation of cutura heritage; Is there a trend towards homogenization or diversity of cutures? Reaction, response and resistance to gobaizing forces; What can be done through media and communications to promote universa ethics? 6. Vioence and a cuture of peace (or Ethnic vioence and cutura puraism) Sources of ethnic confict; Poicies to promote puraism and ethnic reconciiation; Cutura incitement to vioence (e.g. state vioence, domestic vioence, vioence and poitica movements). Keith Griffin singed out for specia treatment the themes of ethics and a cuture of peace, pointing out that these topics are of particuar importance today. Genocide, ethnic ceansing, civi confict and repression of minorities are a reproach to our poitica cutures, nationay and internationay. Far too many peope experience vioence as an undesired aspect of their way of ife. Indeed, for many, vioence - or the threat of vioence - has become routine, bana. A Word Report on Cuture and Deveopment woud be an opportunity to devise creative indicators under the heading of peace and vioence that highight this important issue. It woud be important to 14

21 towards a word report on cuture and deveopment distinguish confict and strugge (which are an inescapabe part of the human condition, and eements of the creative process which can be sources of progress) from vioence: indicators shoud aim to show how the eve of vioence varies among cutures as we as the different forms taken by vioence. On the other hand, it was suggested that a specia section might dea with vioence in each report, in order to aow for year-by-year monitoring of phenomena of vioence and responses to vioence. C. Cuture and economic progress Dharam Ghai proposed this topic, which woud dea with the impact of cuture on economic growth (e.g. a review of the evidence on aeged inks between economic growth and Protestantism, Cavinism, Asian vaues, Confucianism) and with how cutura practices and ideas are embedded in economic organization, structure and growth (e.g. savings rates, products; reations between empoyees and enterprises, etc.). 0. Creativity (or Cutura vitaity) This fied, incuding creativity in poitics, economics, the arts and a spheres of socia activities, woud require new anaysis and data to aow specification of particuar issues that coud be acted upon through poicy, awareness raising and mobiization. V. A Few Parting Words he reationship of indicators to reaity is admittedy one of simpification. Indicators are T surrogates for direct measurements which approximate, represent or indicate the extent of the quaity or property in question. They are bound to be simpified, acking the compexity of the reaity they try to capture. On the other hand, whie they may simpify reaity - and moud our perceptions of it - they are symbos for understanding the compexity and diversity of phenomena. For this reason, a Word Report on Cuture and Deveopment must go beyond the pubication of descriptive materias. The Word Commission on Cuture and Deveopment expicity recommended that such a report be produced by an independent team which woud highight good cutura practices and poicies at oca, nationa and internationa eves, as we as expose bad practices and unacceptabe behaviour (see Appendix I>. If these conditions are fufied, a Word Report on Cuture and Deveopment shoud and wi offer its pubic something attractive and innovative. Quantitative indicators are but a means to aow the dissemination throughout the word of a message of respect for creative diversity, equity and peace. 15

22 unrisd-unesto occasiona paper no. 1 Appendices Appendix I Text of the Commission s recommendation on an annua Word Report on Cuture and Deveopment The Word Commission on Cuture and Deveopment recommends that UNESCO sponsor an independent team to produce and pubish an annua Report on Word Cuture and Deveopment, beginning in The report woud be an independent statement addressed to poicy makers and other interested parties, and financed by vountary contributions from the internationa community, incuding foundations and governments. It woud: a) survey recent trends in cuture and deveopment, drawing on the research programme outined beow; b) monitor events affecting the state of cutures wordwide; c> construct and pubish quantitative cutura indicators; d) highight good cutura practices and poicies at oca, nationa and internationa eves, as we as expose bad practices and unacceptabe behaviour; and e> present an anaysis of specific themes of genera importance with poicy suggestions. Besides a survey of recent trends, each Report coud expore in depth one particuar theme. The themes might incude: goba ethics; cutura and ethnic vioence; new forms of cutura expression; art and cutura ife; cuture, the economy and government; progress in the recognition of cutura and gender rights; access to media technoogies; cutura concerns of indigenous peopes; the use of cutura impact assessments for deveopment decision-making; the fate of minorities, and the state of the word s anguages and anguage poicy across the word. The independence of the report woud be essentia. Whie the manager of the sma unit responsibe for its production woud be appointed by the Director-Genera of UNESCO, the report shoud not be a statement of UNESCO poicy, nor shoud it require (or seek) the approva of the agency s Executive Board or nationa poitica authorities. In other words, it woud be a report to UNESCO, to the United Nations system and the internationa community, rather than a report of UNESCO. The integrity of the report is a precondition for its success; its reputation shoud be based on its objectivity, vision and wiingness to examine difficut, sensitive and controversia issues reated to cuture and deveopment The report shoud be seen as a contribution to discussion and debate, as a way to infuence internationa pubic opinion, and as a testing ground for new poicy ideas. In support of such a report the Commission aso suggests that UNESCO, in co-operation with the United Nations Deveopment Programme (UNDP), the Word Bank and other agencies of the United Nations system, such as the United Nations Research Institute for Socia Deveopment (UNRISD), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Deveopment (UNCTAD), the Food 16