SUMMARY FOR ARTICLE

This article presents a reflection on the possibility and potential advantages of the development of a humanities-based approach to assessing the impact of the arts, which attempts to move away from a paradigm of evaluation based on a one-size-fits-all model usually reliant on empirical methodologies borrowed from the social sciences. this article presents a reflection on the possibility and potential advantages of the development of a humanities-based approach to assessing the impact of the arts which attempts to move away from a paradigm of evaluation based on a one-size-fits-all model usually reliant on empirical methodologies borrowed from the social sciences. in order to do so the article builds on and develops the insights we have gained from our previous work around the challenges both theoretical and methodolog- ical posed by the attempt to develop a rigorous approach to articulate and eval- uate the alleged social impacts resulting from engagement with the arts and presents a critical discussion of the role of evidence in cultural policy-making. she further points out that arguably the main issue for advancing our understanding of the effects of arts interventions is ontological; it is not research methods but the most effec- tive orientation or logic of enquiry; consequently the crucial question that still needs answering is what types of research approach are best suited to investigating the social effects of the arts. in in an important speech to the economic and social research council david blunkett then secretary of state for education and employment reiter- ated the partys view of evidence as a policy driver: it should be self-evident that decisions on government policy ought to be informed by sound evidence the government has given a clear commitment that we will be guided not by dogma but by an open-minded approach to under- standing what works and why.