This collection of essays by scholars with expertise in a range of fields, cultural professionals and policy makers explores different ways in which the arts and humanities contribute to dealing with the challenges of contemporary society in ways that do not rely on simplistic and questionable notions of socio-economic impact as a proxy for value.

Michael Bérubé, Pennsylvania State University, USA Connie Johnston, Massachusetts, USA Howard I. Kushner, USA Leslie S. Leighton, Emory University, USA David Looseley, University of Leeds, UK Rick McGeer, Information Infrastructure Lab of HP Labs in Palo Alto, California, USA Jim McGuigan, Loughborough University, UK and IFK Internationales Forchungszentrum Kulturwissenshaften, Vienna, Austria Jean W. McLaughlin, Penland School of Crafts, USA Mark J.V. Olson, Duke University, USA Mark O'Neill, Glasgow Life, Glasgow, Scotland Jan Parker, Humanities Higher Education Research Group.