White paper on creativity - ebla center

Chapter 1and quality certification) is a usefulinstrument congruous with theintangible elements of products. Thiscreates a “productive club” within acircumscribed local territory,stimulating co-operation and collectiveaction.In these contexts, the most significantaspect of social quality pursued throughthe production of culture is cohesionand social inclusion, since the localsocial fabric encompasses culturaldifferences and develops relations ofsolidarity, favouring the individual andcollective entrepreneurial spirits and theability to pursue projects. This conjuresup the picture of a society which doesnot exclude people on the basis of theirphysical, distinguishing or genderfeatures but enables each to expresstheir own ideas and potential.In the typical dynamics of districts,projects evolve in the traditionalsettings of local knowledge and materialculture. Moreover, a tightly boundsociety, based on inclusion and trust,encourages development insofar as itgives people more freedom to exploitopportunities that otherwise would betoo risky or uncertain, and to introducethe necessary deep processes ofindustrial restructuring. Lastly, cohesionand social inclusion and the attendantforms of freedom are important factorsin attracting new, different andunpredictable skilled resources.We can list a number of otherphenomena underlying the creativeexpression of a local territory (Hall,2000; Scott, 2006):• the presence of places of socialand intellectual dynamism, i.e. a nonconservativecommunity undergoingrapid social change• the spatial concentration ofknowledge and creative activitiesencouraging the achievement ofindividual career ambitions• a special kind of relationshipbetween enterprises, through horizontalor vertical integration.Historical and spatial conditions aloneare not sufficient requisites for asuccessful industrial culture. It mustalso be able to guarantee a constanthigh level of creativity, and here publicpolicies can play an important role. Inparticular, Italy should repeat thesuccess of its historic cities and itsmaterial culture districts in all sectors ofthe cultural and creative industries.Technological knowledge andinnovation as the cutting edge in theItalian cultural industriesUnlike what has happened in itsmaterial culture industries, in Italy thecultural industries have slightly laggedbehind in reaching the cutting edge ofknowledge – i.e. innovations intechnology, information, content,communications and intellectualproperty as new strategic resources.Film, the audiovisual industry,videogames, publishing, and radio &television communicate content whichItalian enterprise struggles to bring tofruition on the international markets.WHITE PAPER ON CREATIVITY 27