Perspectives of cultural statistics, an INCFC-DEPS project within the Season Romania-France

 The National Institute for Cultural Research and Training (INCFC) and the Department for Studies, Forward Planning and Statistics (DEPS), Ministry of Culture, France, have agreed early this year on a common cooperation programme – Perspectives of cultural statistics.

The partnership between the two institutions involves the exchange of experience on methodological themes regarding the draw-up of the main indicators for cultural statistics and the cooperation within programmes and specialisations according to the European professional standards for the occupations in the field of culture.

The new study Cultural Vitality of Cities in Romania, conducted by the The National Institute for Cultural Research and Training, was launched on the first day of July 2019. The event, organised within the Season Romania-France 2019, had the following guests: Andrei ŢĂRNEA, General Commissioner of the Season Romania-France 2019, Alexandru PUGNA, Secretary of State, Ministry of Culture and National Identity, Prof. Dr. Manuèle DEBRINAY RIZOS, expert in cultural policies and consultant professor from DEPS (Department for Studies, Forward Planning and Statistics, Ministry of Culture, France) and Prof. Dr. Delia MUCICĂ, expert in cultural policies.

Having been generated by the historical and diplomatic relationships between the two countries, the Season Romania-France 2019 is meant to renew the two peoples’ image on each other, to strengthen the economic, scientific and cultural relationships – a bridge connecting Romania and France, through projects mutually agreed upon by the Romanian and French teams.

Prof. Dr. Delia MUCICĂ has emphasised the importance of predictive studies and ex-ante analyses to assist the central and local authorities in drawing up their own cultural policies and strategies of sustainable development in the field of culture.

Mrs. Prof. Dr. Manuèle DEBRINAY RIZOS has spoken about the importance of this cooperation between INCFC and DEPS, which is one of the most interesting collaborations from the viewpoint of the methodologies used in such studies, and as a good practice exchange in matters of statistical and cultural research.

At the end of the event, the journalists present had the occasion to take interviews and statements from personalities active in the Romanian cultural field. Below you will find the statement of Prof. Dr. Dumitru BORȚUN, PhD and Lecturer at the Faculty of Communication and Public Relations of the National School for Political and Administrative Studies of Bucharest (SNSPA):

“Following the discussions that took place and the presentations that were made here, an overall, and, I might say, even holistic vision took shape. INCFC’s studies usually give us holograms of the Romanian cultural system, on all lines of action. Today’s discussion touched the smallest potential cultural entities of a nation: the village libraries. They are the first places of contact and familiarisation with culture for the respective communities. As Mrs. Croitoru pointed out very well, if youngsters have not had access to culture until the age of 15, it is more difficult for them to form cultural consumption habits afterwards. This is why this document seems to me to be of major importance, and today’s event was one for which I remain deeply grateful.”

The next day took place the meeting of the working group within the INCFC-DEPS cooperation programme. Mrs. Anda BECUȚ MARINESCU, Head of Research Service, presented the main categories of cultural vitality indicators. Furthermore, the results of the research which led to the publication of the study were presented within the working group.