New policies for the new cultural economy

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New policies for the new cultural economy

• Learning from the UK creative industries policy
  experience.
• Andy C Pratt
• Department of Geography Environment /
• LSE Urban Research Centre

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Aims and Objectives

• Examine the changing field of culture and the
  cultural/creative industries (CCI)
• Policy out of sync, the need for a new
  rationale
• English CCI policy
• Challenges and lessons from the English experience

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The times, they are a changing 1.

• The new economy
• Declining manufacturing
• Redirection of youth, identity, culture
• Knowledge economy
• Creative class
• Globalisation
• National/regional competition
• Clusters
• Foreign direct investment
• Innovation

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The times, they are a changing 2.

• Culture changed (see later CCI changed)
• Marketisation of culture
• Massive growth in consumption
• Changing spending patterns
• Redrawn divisions of high/low culture/non-culture
  
• The state
• Neo-liberal/ small state
• Regulation not investment
• Reduction in spending
• Especially, arts and culture

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Cultural policy for old times

• State protection of the good life
• Rationale
• Market failure
• Public goods, welfare economics
• Baumols cost disease
• Cultural elitism
• corruption of culture by the market/masses
• Governance
• Cultural cohesion
• Result
• State budget (subject to variation, uncertainty,
  to cuts)
• Idiosyncratic selection of what is culture
  (elite)
• Separation from commercial culture (by
  definition)
• Conservative/ not dynamic/ backward looking

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English Creative industries Policy 1.

• Devolution nations and regions
• Historic role of urban authorities in CCI
• Concepts
• Tensions of
• Cultural/creative
• Commercial/Non-commercial
• Formal/Informal
• Production/Consumption
• Breadth and Depth
• Mapping
• Evidence based policy, evaluation
• Output measures
• (what we need) Institutions and Organizations
• Capacity, sustainability, appropriateness

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English Creative industries Policy 2.

• Investment
• Sources Departments, Regions, Local
  authorities, Lottery
• Capital and Revenue funding
• Training
• National Endowment for Science Technology and the
  Arts (NESTA)
• Arms length bodies
• Arts Council
• Museums and Libraries
• Film Council
• Crafts Council
• BBC
• Regional development agencies/ Regeneration
• Tensions of instrumental v. dedicated policy

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English Creative industries Policy 3.

• Strategic guidance
• Education
• Creative Economy Programme
• British Council
• Trade partners UK
• Department of Trade
• Regulation
• Content
• Ofcom
• Business
• Competition Commission

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The times, they are a changing. 3

• Characteristics of the CCI what we know now (but
  need to know more)
• Missing middle, informal intermediaries
• Ecosystem
• Project based companies
• Overlapping networks
• Winner takes all
• Rapid turnover/ innovation/ product cycle
• Massive market uncertainty
• Content regulation v. Competition regulation

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Cultural policies for New times 1.

• Commercial v non-commercial boundary
• How to govern it
• New skills and agencies institution building
• Industries converging and changing
• State agencies lack skills
• a third/ new sector?
• Funding/Support justification
• Old market failure
• New Exports, IPR, cultural value...?
• Employment status
• Precarious and freelance labour
• Social welfare issues

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Cultural policies for New times 2.

• Lack of substantive understanding of the
  industry/-ies
• Institutional, regulatory, governance
• Reliance on generic policy
• Role of situated, collective/ social knowledge
• Reputation
• Learning and Innovation
• Excellence
• Market/Audience/Consumer development

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Andy C Pratta.c.pratt_at_lse.ac.uk