Dr. Dominic Power Uppsala University (and

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Dr. Dominic Power Uppsala University(and
Østlandsforskning)Kultur og næring i regional
utvikling Norden som kreativ region, Trondheim
4. 5. oktober 2006dominic.power_at_kultgeog.uu.s
e
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Norden a creative region?

• Det norske formannskapet vil derfor arbeide for
  åpne grenser og mobilitet for personer og
  kulturprodukter, samt bidra til å sikre bred
  tilgjengelighet av nordisk kunst og kultur.
• Norges program for formannskapet i Nordisk
  Ministerråd 2006
• There is currently a political willingness to
  talk about culture as a key element of not just
  our identity but also our economic and regional
  futures

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Why is culture important to economic growth?

• Culture has been shown to create growth in 2 main
  ways
• Cultural industries themselves are growing and
  employing more people and firms
• Vibrant cultural economies and cultures create
  spin-offs that are vital to other forms of
  economic growth

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What can culture and creativity add to the region?

• Creative activity ? helps employers/region
  to attract retain talent
• Creative people ? regenerate urban
  neighbourhoods
• ? define regions brand
• ? create buzz
• Creative workers ? enhance creativity,
  innovativeness throughout economy
• Cultural industries ? investment, jobs,
  income, exports

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What can creative industry add to the region?
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FIN
NO
SE

• Concentrates in urban areas
• But plenty of regional clusters

Employment in municipalities 1999
DK
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An uneven regional distribution
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Creative regions?

• What do we know about the characteristics of a
  creative region?
• That it depends upon which type of industry we
  are interested in music needs different things
  than furniture design
• That all these industries are knowledge and
  innovation based they grow fastest on the basis
  of knowledge and innovation

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3 hypothetical propositions on regional knowledge
creation

1. Knowledge in regions is created through various
   forms of local inter-organizational collaborative
   interaction.
2. Knowledge in regions is created through increased
   local competition and intensified rivalry.
3. Knowledge in regions is created through
   spill-over effects following from the local
   mobility and sociability of individuals.

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Creative regions?

• Knowledge and innovation in cultural industries
  is supported by
• A strong set of cultural institutions
• State support (where wanted/needed)
• Clustering (not necessarily for cooperation) in
  the region
• Diversity of people and activities
• Tolerance and openness to new ideas and people
• Links with other places and markets
• Strong creative brands and identities

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Where do we want to go?

• There are good reasons for aiming to create
• Establish the Nordic region a global creative
  hub/region
• To support the growth of (some) world class
  creative regions and localities

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How do we get there?

• Awareness that in addition to cultural policy we
  need coordinated industrial policy supportive of
  innovative and competitive creative and cultural
  firms

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How do we get there?

• Support the innovation and knowledge base
• Internationalise the creative education sector
• Do what other industries do develop third level
  research and industry linked RD
• Complement creative education with business
  skills
• Cross-sectoral innovation - related variety
  platforms
• Linking creative firms to Swedish big business
  Sony-Ericsson linking with Stockholm design firms
• Ice-breaking funds Denmark
• Meeting places (real, virtual, or temporary)
• Incubators

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How do we get there?

• Small, volatile and under-capitalised
• Tessa Jowell, FT 2004
• Give business and entrepreneurial support and
  training, open VC, etc.
• Help firms understand what is happening market
  analysis, technological foresight, business model
  analysis help them discover new opportunities
  before other industries take their markets (e.g.
  like IT firms taking the lead in selling music)
• But make sure to have a focus on international
  competitiveness rather than local markets

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How do we get there?

• Focus on the market (and it is often very far
  away)
• Bring the world to us help internationalize
  trade fairs encourage inward investment to
  increase competition encourage migration
• Bring us to them support for showcases, export
  drives, trade fair attendance

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How do we get there?

• Love your neighbours!
• There is strength in numbers!
• Nordic (Baltic? European?) cooperation to exploit
  economies of scale and scope
• Nationally cooperate on promotion,
• branding awareness, IPR and
• regulation
• Regionally linking clusters
• Sectorally linking firms

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Creative Directions report

• Report focused on policies to support commercial
  creative industry products and services, and
  therein support these industries at a regional
  level
• Report identified 5 priority action areas
• Hooking up firms within Creative Industries (e.g.
  music firm with music firm)
• Hitting the market (Distribution/sales/export)
• Creating world class knowledge/innovation
• Hooking up firms across Creative Industries (e.g.
  music firm with film company) and with other
  industries
• Entrepreneurship

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More information dominic.power_at_kultgeog.uu.se