Activating the creative economy in Peru

Peru has been a little behind curve compared to other Latin American countries in identifying and supporting the creative industries

However, the country has plenty of advantages that it can still capitalise upon in developing the sector in the future. Furthermore, growth trends have been positive for both freelancers and businesses, and the latter are largely optimistic and ambitious about the immediate future.

In March 2015, the UK Embassy in Peru, in collaboration with the Peruvian Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Culture in Cusco, commissioned BOP Consulting to undertake the project “Activating the creative economy: mapping and supporting the creative industries in Peru through international collaboration”. 

The purpose of this project was to harness UK public and private expertise to: 

• produce reliable data and insight about the creative industries’ needs and potential in Peru, focusing specifically on the Film, Performing Arts, Computer Games and New Media sectors in the Lima and Cusco regions

• exchange knowledge between the sectors in the two countries to strengthen collaborations within in the creative field in the future. 

The mapping study uses a mixed method approach which combines qualitative research with businesses, practitioners and policymakers, with a quantitative survey of each of the three sectors in the two regions. Economic modelling has been used to derive estimates for the financial value of the three sectors in the two regions, together with the number of Full-time Equivalent (FTE) jobs they support.

Key findings and implications

The three analysed sectors – film, performing arts and games & new media – do face a number of challenges. The most regularly reported challenge is one that is mainly within the control of the government (i.e. regulation/bureaucracy). However, for governments to gain a better insights into these issues will require policymakers to have more sustained and consistent dialogue and engagement with industry and sector representatives than has taken place until now. In turn, it is also likely that this dialogue and engagement would be more effective if there were greater cross sector industry collaboration. 

Not only is their strength in numbers by joining together, it also enables a united front to be presented to government. But developing cross sector industry institutions requires real leadership and commitment over the medium term: is there the appetite across the creative industries among key leaders to take on this task? 

By starting to think and act as a wider industry grouping, the creative industries can also help national and City Region governments to develop policies that are not always locked into sector -based policies. In reality, the boundaries between individual creative sectors are fluid and many workers move across them. It is no surprise that much of the policy initiatives established by other Latin American countries have a strong cross -sector element: tackling generic challenges facing creative businesses, as well as providing some more targeted interventions where needed. 

In this way, ‘horizontal’ cross -sector approaches to creative industries support and policy development can overlay ‘vertical’ sectoral investments that governments at different scales will continue to need to make, and to make not solely on the grounds of economic growth and diversification. A factor that is often overlooked in the narrative of the UK’s creative industries success is the degree to which it depends on a bedrock of public investment in art and film schools, public service broadcasters, and museums, galleries and publicly - subsidised theatres. These institutions are often the well -springs of learning, creativity and experimentation that lead to the downstream development of products and services that can be commercialised in the market. If Peru is serious in wanting to maximise the economic potential of its creative industries, policymakers also need to tend the roots from which these grow, and nurture them accordingly.