Policy Impact Stress-Test 

Policy Makers · Basic

Policy Impact Stress-Test

Stress-test a single policy measure before it is introduced. Describe the measure, then rate its expected short-term and long-term effect on cultural heritage institutions (CHIs) across six micro-level dimensions. The tool summarises burdens, incentives and unequal effects, and suggests a decision category.

Step 1 · Define the policy measure

Step 2 · Assess impact across the micro-level dimensions

Scale −5 to +5 · negative = burden (cost, workload, risk, exclusion, pressure) · positive = enabling effect (support, opportunity, access, capacity, visibility).

Finance and Investment

Negative: increased costs, unfunded obligations, co-funding pressure, long-term maintenance costs, financial reporting burden, new equipment/software/services. Positive: better funding access, cost savings, sustainable investment, clearer financial planning, new co-funding or partnerships, improved long-term sustainability.

Short-term (implementation) 0
Long-term (strategic) 0

Employment and Personnel

Negative: increased workload, missing skills, staff stress, dependence on temporary labour, administrative burden, unrealistic implementation pressure. Positive: staff upskilling, clearer roles, new jobs, better workforce planning, stronger institutional capacity, professionalisation of digitisation work.

Short-term (implementation) 0
Long-term (strategic) 0

Visibility, Demand and Reuse

Negative: pressure to prove demand without evidence, reduced flexibility in presenting collections, weak relevance for specific users, reuse restrictions or uncertainty, duplication, low-value visibility requirements. Positive: stronger visibility, greater reuse, better discoverability, links with education/tourism/research/creative industries/communities, participation in national or European digital heritage ecosystems.

Short-term (implementation) 0
Long-term (strategic) 0

Accessibility

Negative: complex technical requirements, compatibility problems, added security responsibilities, dependence on external platforms, user support without resources, accessibility compliance burden. Positive: better public access, improved usability, stronger interoperability, better security, clearer accessibility standards, long-term discoverability, easier access for remote or underserved users.

Short-term (implementation) 0
Long-term (strategic) 0

Social Impact

Negative: unrealistic outreach expectations, pressure to prove social impact without support, superficial participation, exclusion of smaller/marginalised audiences, weak community relevance, social sensitivity risks. Positive: stronger inclusion, educational value, community engagement, broader participation, diverse outreach, cross-cultural visibility, connection between digitisation and public value.

Short-term (implementation) 0
Long-term (strategic) 0

Cultural Heritage Object

Negative: pressure to digitise fragile objects too quickly, quality loss from output targets, weak representation accuracy, ethical risks, exposure of sensitive heritage, neglected preservation, unsuitable standardisation across object types. Positive: stronger preservation, improved digitisation quality, better object prioritisation, safer handling, accurate representation, clearer ethical/technical standards, better long-term protection.

Short-term (implementation) 0
Long-term (strategic) 0