Evaluating a Cultural Policy in the Dance Sector. Does Efficiency Always Mean Achieving Goals?

Abstract This work aims to evaluate cultural policies, specifically in the dance sector, an area which has received scant attention in economic literature so far. Data Envelopment Analysis is applied to evaluate public program performance and the stakeholders involved therein. We select a Spanish public policy supporting dance as case study, which includes public authorities, theaters and dance companies. The former provide the funding while the others offer the artistic idea that is taken to the audience. We find that efficiency in resource performance often runs counter to other cultural aims such as increasing audiences or extending repertoire diversity.