Creative Economy: A Feasible Development Option

1Concept and context of the creative economythe creative economy has been more recent. The São PauloConsensus arising from UNCTAD XI was a decisive step inthis regard. Subsequently, UNCTAD enlarged the focus of itspolicy-oriented analysis, emphasizing four key objectives in itsapproach to the creative economy:■■■■UNCTAD definition of the creative economyThe “creative economy” is an evolving concept based oncreative assets potentially generating economic growthand development.■■■■■It can foster income generation, job creation and export earningswhile promoting social inclusion, cultural diversity and humandevelopment.It embraces economic, cultural and social aspects interacting withtechnology, intellectual property and tourism objectives.It is a set of knowledge-based economic activities with a developmentdimension and cross-cutting linkages at macro and micro levels tothe overall economy.It is a feasible development option calling for innovative, multidisciplinarypolicy responses and interministerial action.At the heart of the creative economy are the creative industries.To reconcile national cultural objectives with technologicaland international trade policies;To analyse and deal with the asymmetries inhibiting thegrowth of creative industries in developing countries;To reinforce the so-called “creative nexus” between investment,technology, entrepreneurship and trade; andTo identify innovative policy responses for enhancing thecreative economy for development gains.Other initiatives that have furthered the role of the creativeeconomy in development include a symposium held inNagaur, India, in 2005, organized by UNESCO. The symposiumfocused on the role of cultural industries in development,with particular emphasis on the importance of localartistic and cultural activity as a means for economic empowermentand poverty alleviation. The recommendations of thisevent, known as the Jodhpur Initiatives, put forward a seriesof strategies for data collection and industry development forimplementation in various Asian countries.At the same time at UNESCO headquarters, workwas proceeding on the preparation of a cultural diversityconvention whose provisions would specifically recognize thecontribution that cultural industries make to economic andcultural development in both industrialized and developingcountries. The resulting Convention on the Protection andPromotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions wasadopted by the General Conference of UNESCO inOctober 2005 and entered into force in March 2007 (seechapter 9). 14Thus it can be seen that the concept of the “creativeeconomy” has evolved along several paths over the last tenyears. It has emerged as a means of focusing attention on therole of creativity as a force in contemporary economic life,embodying the proposition that economic and culturaldevelopment are not separate or unrelated phenomena butpart of a larger process of sustainable development in whichboth economic and cultural growth can occur hand in hand.In particular, the idea of the creative economy in the developingworld draws attention to the significant creative assetsand rich cultural resources that exist in all developing countries.The creative industries that use these resources not onlyenable countries to tell their own stories and to project theirown unique cultural identities to themselves and to the worldbut they also provide these countries with a source of economicgrowth, employment creation and increased participationin the global economy. At the same time, the creativeeconomy promotes social inclusion, cultural diversity andhuman development.1.1.8 The creative class and creativeentrepreneursA broad interpretation of creativity also underliesRichard Florida’s descriptions of the emerging “creativeclass” in society, a cohort of professional, scientific and artisticworkers whose presence generates economic, social andcultural dynamism, especially in urban areas. 15 More specifically,the creative class includes people in science and engineering,architecture and design, education, arts, music andentertainment whose economic function is to create new14 See also chapter 8.15 Florida (2002).10 CREATIVE ECONOMY REPORT 2010