Does the New Creative Economy Strategy Go Far Enough?
The Government’s long-awaited strategy paper on the creative economy - Creative Britain: New Talents for the New Economy - was launched today. It is a landmark in policy-making for the creative sectors whole economy, argues BOP Consulting Director Paul Owens. But does it go far enough? Read the article here.
The Creative Suburbs
BOP consultant Chris Gibbon presented a paper on 'creative suburbs' at the International Forum on the Creative Economy in Gatineau, Quebec, on 17 March 2008. Read Chris's paper here.
Rural Creativity
A great deal of the research and theory about the UK’s creative industries is concerned with the role of these sectors in the economic development of cities and urban areas. But a number of recent studies by BOP suggest that this may be a partial account, which overlooks the importance of creative sectors in rural economies. Senior consultant Richard Naylor’s chapter on creative industries for NESTA's recent report on the countryside (December 2007) – building on our previous work on the Creative Countryside and the creative industries in rural districts of the East Midlands – shows that creative industries are growing at a significantly higher rate in many rural areas than in nearby cities and large towns.
Working for Nothing in the Creative Industries
Working as an unpaid runner has for many years been one of the most common ways to break into the independent TV industry. BOP consultant David Lee presented a paper on this subject at the ESRC business seminar The Impact of Unpaid Internships in the Creative Industries at the University of Salford in November 2007. Drawing on his AHRC-funded doctoral research, David argued that, while the culture of work experience provides an informal method of skills training for graduates starting work in these sought-after sectors, it also acts against diversity in the creative industries, barring minority groups from entry.
The UK's Creative Exports
BOP Senior Consultant Richard Naylor was invited by the State Government of North Rhine West-phalia to give a presentation on UK creative export policy at the international congress in Essen on 17th and 18th September 2007. Read his presentation here.
What is the value of 'Public Value'?
In the last five years, the concept of 'public value' has taken centre stage in cultural policy discourse. It has been mobilised by its advocates to justify funding on everything from your local library to Stonehenge. Nowhere has this notion been taken up as strongly as in the heart of the UK’s public broadcasting landscape. The BBC has used the concept as a central element of their Charter Renewal process and the Chief Executive of Channel 4 has also recently spoken of the importance of "maximising public value".
Yet despite the popularity of this term, it is often unclear what is actually meant by 'public value' and quite how might it be measured. At the recent 'Media and Social Change' conference organised by the ESRC Centre for Research on Socio-Cultural Change, BOP Research Director Richard Naylor, together with BOP Associate Kate Oakley and David Lee of Goldsmiths College, University of London, presented a paper which explores the roots of the term, tracks how the concept has assumed its current vogueish status, and critically assesses its value as both a measurement tool and a rationale for public investment. In particular, it asks what benefits and disadvantages public value brings to the debate about public service broadcasting in the UK. And more broadly, what are the wider implications of the use of the term given the notion of publicness that is being offered within 'public value'?
To find out more, download the full paper: Giving Them What They Want: Construction of the Public in 'Public Value' (PDF 87kb).
The Creative Society
Social capital is difficult to build and easily lost, but creative industries plans need to take a strategic approach to developing this elusive quality if they are to succeed.
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Measurement for Art's Sake
Has evidence-based cultural policy making gone too far? Or do more effective methods of measuring the impact of culture justify increased public investment in the arts and creative industries?
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Creative Manufacturing: The Return of the Industrial Economy
Rather than replacing manufacturing, the creative economy can revitalise and transform the production industries.
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Intellectual Potential
It is neither piracy nor regulation that determines how the creative enterprise can exploit it's intellectual property, but good business practice.
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Creative Capital
There are few issues in the creative industries more problematic than investment. Access to finance is often cited as a problem for creative companies - but how appropriate is equity investment for most firms?