White paper on creativity - ebla center

ForewordThe Study Commission appointed on 30 November 2007 to draft a Report on Creativityand the Production of Culture in Italy was established by a decree with the followingbrief:a) describe the features of an Italian model of creativity and cultural productionb) estimate the economic value of the Italian cultural industriesc) analyse and compare the cultural policies of the EU and its member statesd) make recommendations for revitalising the production of culture.The <strong>White</strong> Paper on Creativity thus had two main objectives. Firstly, outline an Italianmodel of creativity and cultural production in the belief that creativity must be boostedto help the country develop and improve its position in the international context.Secondly, make a contribution to knowledge and define the macro sector of the culturalindustries which, because of the geographical diffusion, cross-sectoral nature andintangibility of many of its components, does not have a clearly-perceived and evidentstatistical identity in Italy.To contribute to the success of the Italian cultural industry, this <strong>White</strong> Paper alsooutlines some strategies for co-ordinated actions to meet the challenges and removerestraints which reinforce rigidity or weaken the sectors and contexts: i.e. creative cities,design and material culture, fashion, architecture, the knowledge economy, advertising,film, television and radio, publishing, the taste industry, contemporary art, theperforming arts and the cultural heritage. The urgent need for action is almost a warningsignal: we must achieve the same kinds of standards as the material and humanist cultureof our past and not lose touch with the technological culture of the future.Chapters 1 and 2 provide a theoretical and quantitative picture of the Italian model ofcreativity and describe the framework of European and international policies.Chapter 3 adds a reference to creative cities, historically excellent examples of Italiancreativity.Chapters 4-14 address the issues in the various sectors. Firstly, however, they offer atheory of goods in art and culture, revealing specific factors often undervalued intraditional analyses. They then provide a picture of the various sectors, illustrating theirstrengths and weaknesses. These chapters are partly focused on the description ofmarkets and partly on the issue of cultural production. The link between creativity andcultural production is often explicit and is carefully analysed. But at times there is also animplicit link in the socio-economic structures described, and here we also address theproblems of strategy for those structures. Creativity is always the primary strategicprerequisite for success in all sectors.The final chapter contains recommendations and suggestions for cultural policies thatcan be implemented in the long-term (“17 Key Decisions”) and in the short term (“53Actions”) for the various cultural sectors.