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Researchers are invited to submit papers for the thematic issue of Culture Crossroads on issues related to the social and economic impact of culture. The issue will continue the discussion on the issues and methodologies of impact assessment in the cultural and creative industries (CCI) – which was initiated during the thematic session "How to Make Visible? Assessing Social And Economic Impact In Creative And Cultural Industries" within the framework of the Latvian Academy of Culture (LAC) conference series "Cultural Crossroads XVIII" in autumn this year. 

Measuring impact is always an issue when it comes to public investment in culture and the arts. The issue of impact is often oversimplified because non-linear processes need to be expressed in linear, monetary terms (e.g. for policy objectives). However, there is still an academic debate on the need to measure impact, in particular impact that could more convincingly demonstrate the social value of culture. Thematic issue 'From the Invisible to the Visible: Measuring Social and Economic Impact in the Creative and Cultural Industries' aims to develop new and test existing theoretical and empirical approaches to measuring social and economic impact in the cultural and creative industries. Researchers from different disciplines are invited to submit papers on methodological approaches that can be used to study the impact of CCIs on the sustainable development of societies and countries. We invite papers focusing on the impact of CCIs on quality of life, well-being, health, education, social inclusion, environment, climate and innovation. We especially welcome submissions that discuss methodological challenges, approaches, providing a critical look at methodological approaches that are tested by researchers, and also theoretical debates based on literature reviews. 

Articles should be submitted in English and they must not be previously published or submitted for publication elsewhere. The deadline for submissions: 10 February 2025. The articles should be submitted through the electronic system of the journal. The recommended length of the article is up to 45 000 characters without spaces, and must comply with the Guidelines for Authors (information on the guidelines and requirements can be accessed here). Prior to submission, registration and creation of a user profile is required. 

Culture Crossroads is an open access international peer-reviewed journal published by the Institute of Arts and Cultural Studies of the Latvian Academy of Culture. The journal is indexed in: SCOPUS; EBSCO (Humanities Source Ultimate); ERIH PLUS; ULRICH'S; Central and Eastern European Online Library (CEEOL).