Nancy Blaker is a senior researcher at Atlas Research. In her work she investigates several aspects of the arts and culture scene, with an emphasis on its broader societal value – from its intrinsic value to the economic benefits. In the past few years she has worked on research projects on for example the value of night-life for Amsterdam, the value of museums for the Gooi- and Vechtstreek, Amsterdam’s creative hub policy for artists (broedplaatsenbeleid), and the importance of the arts and culture scene for the city of Groningen. She also contributes to Atlas Research’s Dutch performing arts database, which is (among other things) used to calculate the yearly residential attractiveness index for all municipalities in the Netherlands.