Alternative assets, public markets, ownership risk, and long-term wealth durability Research and commentary by Mitt Chen
What Is Cultural Asset Economics?
Cultural Asset Economics is a framework for analyzing assets, companies, brands, families, places, and ownership systems whose value depends on durability, legitimacy, scarcity, governance, and cultural relevance over time.
It is designed for situations where standard market commentary misses the real question: can the asset survive ownership change, succession, liquidity pressure, institutional stress, and cultural shifts?
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What CAE Studies?
CAE studies assets where value is not only financial, but structural and cultural.
This includes family businesses, collectibles, art, cultural infrastructure, alternative assets, public companies, luxury brands, real estate, heritage estates, and sovereign or place-based systems.
The goal is not to create a single score or price target. The goal is to understand durability, transferability, governance, and the conditions under which an asset can keep its relevance across cycles.
Five CAE Lenses:
CADI — Cultural Asset Durability Index
How durable is the asset’s cultural relevance, scarcity, and institutional position?
OFI — Ownership Friction Index
How difficult is it to transfer, govern, finance, or restructure ownership?
GTRI — Generational Transfer Risk Index
How exposed is the asset to succession, founder dependence, heir conflict, or institutional memory loss?
EOI — Exit Optionality Index
How many realistic exit paths exist without damaging the asset’s value or identity?
CYI — Cultural Yield Index
How much non-financial value does the asset generate through recognition, legitimacy, access, identity, or influence?