UNESCO Culture|2030 Indicators, Human Agency and Territorial Innovation in Creative Societies

Antonio Carlos Ruiz Soria

Cuadernos de Economia de la Cultura, 2026, issue 12, 79-100

Abstract: This article analyses UNESCO Culture|2030 Indicators framework as an operational architecture for measuring culture's transversal contribution to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Departing from a conceptualisation of culture centred on individual agency-rather than the heritage-based approach predominant in the Agenda-it examines the framework's four thematic dimensions (Environment & Resilience, Prosperity & Livelihoods, Knowledge & Skills, and Inclusion & Participation) through an integrated theoretical lens combining institutional economics, innovation policy, creative society theory, and a philosophical account of culture as temporal, world-making agency. Drawing on the case study methodology of Yin (2018), the article analyses the international pilot implementation in Portugal and the city of Elvas (2021-2022), with comparative references to Romania. Results show that the framework is methodologically viable in diverse territorial and governance contexts, strengthens inter-institutional coordination and cultural data systems, and generates policy-relevant evidence for integrating culture into SDG monitoring, innovation ecosystems, and territorial cohesion strategies. The article concludes with policy recommendations for post-2030 frameworks and identifies future research lines on digital cultural production, creative labour equity, and temporal measurement of cultural agency.

Keywords: Culture|2030 Indicators; sustainable development; cultural agency; UNESCO; creative economy; territorial development; innovation; Portugal; Elvas (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:etp:journl:010

DOI: 10.12795/CEC.2026.i12.05

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