This article defines "cultural experience" and places it in a holistic conceptual model; “the cultural city” where it plays a relevant role in improving the performing of cities. The conceptual model combines the basic elements of the heritage city, the smart city and the creative city. The city is interpreted from a threefold perspective; as a repository of resources, as a connective interface, and as the setting for citizens' life and social and professional experiences. In this context, each of these perspectives incorporates culture in a different way, enabling different models of value creation and different processes of production and reproduction of this value. In each of the urban models described above, production processes that combine symbolic, physical, financial, social, human and cultural capital in different ways and urban strategies are implemented to provide cultural experiences that ignite transformative effects through several spillovers. That means that culture, in its different dimensions, regains the role of a raw material and becomes the point of origin to activate development processes and improve urban performance. The integration of the dimensions of the heritage city, the creative city and the smart city through an enabling context is the core proposal of the “cultural city”. In alignment with the New European Agenda for Culture, we deepen the analysis in the specific spillovers on wellbeing and quality of life, citizen engagement and urban renewal as the backbone of a set of external effects of cultural experiences. In the final part of this article, we test the plausibility of this speculative proposal through some empirical evidence. We develop an OLS model with proxy indicators, that could be considered transitional indicators, for the three different potential strategies (heritage, smart, creative). The findings support the assertion that it is conceivable that the supply of cultural experiences through a variety of tactics (heritage city, smart city and creative city) can account in part for the growth of European cities in the years after the 2008 financial crisis. These strategies have contributed to the good performance of the urban device in a way that is positive, not negligible (accounting for around 50% of the variance in productivity) and statistically significant. The provision of a context that increases the cultural experiences for citizens has clearly improved the performance of European cities, and we develop some conceptual and empirical mechanisms to explain and measure the socioeconomic impacts of these processes.

This article analyzes whether expenditure on the provision of merit goods, culture, health, education, and sports, by local governments, in medium-sized cities (between 20,000 and 100,000 inhabitants) is tied to the electoral cycle; that is, whether expenditure increases in the run up to an electoral process. Further, we analyze whether the increase in spending on Culture by local governments has any significant effect on the probability of local governments being re-elected. To answer these questions, a database of 350 medium-sized municipalities is used comprising the period 2011 to 2019, when two municipal elections were held in Spain; in 2015 and in 2019. The results confirm that both total spending and spending on culture and sports, are tied to the electoral cycle, while expenditure on other merit goods is not. Moreover, using a logit model, it is confirmed that an increase in culture expenditure has a significant effect on the probability of the government being re-elected. Specifically, a one-third increase in cultural expenditure, as a proportion of total expenditure (e.g., passing from 6% to 8%) at local government level, improves re-election chances by almost 10%.

This article addresses the complex and multifaceted relationship between Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) and wellbeing, an evolving field of study that still lacks a solid and integrated analytical foundation. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the paper reviews a wide range of theoretical contributions and empirical studies to assess the potential of CCI as drivers of individual and collective wellbeing. Beyond their economic significance, CCI are considered in light of their capacity to generate symbolic value, stimulate creativity, foster innovation, and shape cultural participation. A conceptual framework is proposed to capture the main transmission channels through which these industries influence the various dimensions of wellbeing—including material conditions, health, education, social cohesion, environmental sustainability, and life satisfaction. The analysis also acknowledges the possibility of counter-effects and highlights the importance of contextual and enabling factors in determining outcomes. Drawing from recent evidence, the article suggests that CCI can play a key role in promoting inclusive, resilient, and sustainable development. However, it also stresses the need to move beyond partial or fragmented findings by advancing more robust empirical research capable of capturing the complexity and diversity of impacts across territories.

The introduction of technological tools such as student response systems to dynamise classes in higher education has been increasing in recent years, although often without proper monitoring of their effects. This research aims to analyse the main added value of the use of the Wooclap platform in university education, and whether there are differences in its results depending on the heterogeneous characteristics of the courses and groups in which it is applied. To this end, a comparative analysis has been carried out in three different courses in the field of economics at the University of Valencia. In all three courses, questions were introduced in Wooclap during theory classes. Students in the three courses were given an anonymous survey at the end of the course to evaluate the use of this tool. The students were very satisfied with the tool, highlighting that it helps them to maintain their attention, identify the most important concepts, understand and consolidate them. Furthermore, by means of the Chi-square test, no significant differences were observed in the three groups, from which it can be deduced that beyond the specific characteristics of the course, the profile of the students or the lecturer, this tool can be extrapolated to different contexts and satisfactory results can be expected. The ease of implementation, the possibility of obtaining immediate feedback from students and breaking the monotony of classes are other advantages for lecturers. The conclusions drawn highlight the potential of Wooclap to extend its use in higher education.

In the face of escalating ecological imbalances and the pressing reality of climate emergence, transitioning towards a green economy is imperative. This shift is essential for mitigating the devastating effects of climate change, preserving biodiversity, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of our planet. In this respect, the role that culture can play is increasingly being discussed, given its importance as a substantial and cross-cutting part of human life. However, although many potential environmental sustainability effects are attributed to the cultural and creative sectors, there is as yet little verifiable evidence. Based on different approaches and building on the novel quantitative results emerging from the MESOC project on the effects of culture on the environment, which indicate wide divergences across European regions, this chapter provides some reflections that aim to contribute to this discussion. The actual capacity of culture to enable a green transition will ultimately depend upon its systemic conception as part of sustainable development. <!----> <!----> <!----> <!---->