The NORFACE Project and the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), Germany, who cooperate in inquiring the culture and labour research agenda, are pleased to announce a workshop on the impact of cultural capital on labour market productivity.

Background

The cultural impact on regional development is a broadly discussed and multi-faceted topic that has received varied answers (Bourdieu and Passeron 1973; Throsby 1999; Florida 2002a, 2002b, 2005; Towse 1998). The purpose of this workshop is to look at culture as a source of socio-economic productivity and reason for spillover effects and cumulative effects on convergence between regions. As a replica to the celebrated motto of previous scientific events: “Does Culture Matter?”, we pose the open question: “How does culture matter?”. Thus, we would like to open a discussion beyond the state of the art on what culture is and why society values it. Rather, we suggest a new focus for the “value of culture” discussion which is usually neglected in the sustainable development context. With this workshop we would like to plot a common research agenda that shifts the focus from the value of culture to the value that culture contributes to development. For this purpose we intend to introduce two main lines of discourse: How does the notion of culture evolve and correspond in sociology and economics? How does culture impact productivity and convergence phenomena on regional level (which are the mechanisms)? Moreover, the concept of the workshop is to meet the economics and sociological branches on culture in favour of multidisciplinary pursuits.

Submission

The deadline for submission of full papers is May 10, 2010. Please submit papers in PDF or MS Word format to: annie.tubadji@iab.de.
The decision on acceptance will be reached no later than June 1, 2010. Presenters will be asked to discuss another paper. All participants are requested to register no later than June 20, 2010.