An optimization approach for allocating cultural manifestations and spaces to increase cultural participation and improve social welfare in marginalized populations in Mexico

Abstract

The unequal distribution of cultural offers and infrastructure is a current problem in Mexico, where marginalized populations are the most disadvantaged. Alternatively, there is a severe social lag in many Mexican municipalities matching the unequal distributions of these resources. We analyze the interactions between social lag, population, cultural offer, cultural infrastructure, cultural budget, and cultural participation of the Mexican municipalities seeking to explain the social lag variability with a linear statistical model. Then, structural modeling using Interpretive Structural Modeling methodology was applied to explain the structural and dependence relationships between the factors seeking to explain cultural participation. The results from the structural modeling were used to define the structure of the factors in a dynamic model formulation, but more importantly, to define the criteria for a choice model formulation seeking to simulate the intention of locality populations to attend specific Spaces for Cultural Manifestations (SCM) or specific Cultural Manifestations (CM). Then, maximal covering and p-median location-allocation optimization models were proposed to maximize cultural participation and reduce the average distance to cultural manifestations in municipalities that contribute to the goals of the Official Newspapers of the Federation. These proposals consider both the preferences of people in localities, the compatibility between the SCM and CM, and budget and capacity constraints. Finally, the System Dynamic model was proposed to correctly explain social welfare and cultural participation variability given a failed approximation using a linear model. The model analysis could be very useful in the design and implementation of future public policies in the cultural sector and since previous studies have demonstrated the acute relationship between cultural consumption and social welfare, this research seeks to increase cultural participation in marginalized municipalities to generate more social welfare and quantify this phenomenon. Likewise, the motivation for this work is to properly manage the cultural resources in Mexico and other countries and positively influence the cultural and social public policies. The results first suggest that a linear statistical model is unable to explain social lag variability in terms of the proposed variables. Also, a structural proposal of the factors explaining cultural participation is made, being valuable information for the optimization and System Dynamics model. Then, applying a restriction guarantying specific minimum cultural participation in localities suggests that 13% minimum cultural participation leads to the best results in terms of the distribution of cultural resources, maximizing cultural participation and guarantying equity in cultural participation among localities. The scenario analysis in the maximal covering approach proposes that a distance-based scenario proposes a better distribution of resources but guaranties less cultural participation than the other scenarios. Alternatively, the scenario analysis with the p-median approach proposes that distance guided criterion generates the worst solutions of the model and increases the average distance to cultural manifestations. Finally, a dynamic model proposal of the cultural and social sector is made considers demographic aspects, cultural budget and infrastructure, and cultural participation and social welfare seeking to quantify the impact of the location-allocation proposal on the cultural participation and the impact of a cultural participation increase in the social welfare of municipalities. The results of this work lay the foundations for improving the cultural and social sector in Mexico, but more importantly, propose a generic model to be implemented in any territorial and political context.