Culture, economics and sustainability

In this paper it is argued that systems analysis can provide a means of bringing economic and cultural systems together in a unified framework. It is then proposed that a link between economics and culture can be established through the concept of "culturally sustainable development", definable in terms of a set of criteria relating to advancement of material and nonmaterial wellbeing, inter-and intra-generational equity, and recognition of interdependence. The paper suggests that conceptualising the interaction between the cultural and economic systems in these terms might provide a workable model for policy analysis.