Spatial Aspects of Innovation
The first report in a new series, titled "A Creative PEC State of the Nations," has been published, offering a detailed spatial analysis of the UK's creative industries. This groundbreaking research, authored by Dr Josh Siepel (University of Sussex and the Creative PEC), Dr Alejandro Ramirez-Guerra (Newcastle University and the Creative PEC), and Dr Sawan Rathi (University of Sussex), provides valuable insights into the geography of the UK's creative sectors.
The report reveals that creative industries tend to cluster geographically, with companies, organizations, and practitioners often located near each other in localized creative clusters. These clusters, however, are unevenly distributed across the UK, with a high concentration in specific urban centers and regions, reflecting strong geographical variation in the creative economy.
The clusters foster innovation and growth, acting as economic powerhouses that have substantially contributed to the UK's economy for over two decades. The report emphasizes the importance of understanding these spatial patterns to effectively target policymaking and support for the creative industries.
The research also highlights significant regional disparities, with many clusters concentrated in major cities while rural and smaller regional creative microclusters require more targeted support to unlock their potential. Emerging fields like createch (the combination of creativity and technology) are identified as important new cluster areas requiring attention.
The report underscores the need for inclusive development of creative clusters to ensure broader participation and benefits across different regions and communities. It also stresses the impact of local factors and initiatives, such as the economic effect of models like the 'Preston Model' in Lancashire, in shaping creative clusters and their outcomes.
The report also discusses foreign direct investment in the UK's creative industries in relation to the upcoming industrial strategy, the important role of higher education in the arts and culture sectors, and re-imagining growth finance to boost the creative economy.
The "Arts, Culture and Heritage" section of the report delves into recent trends in workforce and engagement in England. The report identifies seven broad areas, or 'creative corridors,' within the UK that have the potential to bring supercluster-style benefits.
This comprehensive study is the first in a series of four thematic reports, published over a five-year period. The forthcoming reports will cover Clusters (Sussex University, December 2023), Internationalisation (Newcastle University, March 2024), Arts, Culture, and Heritage Sectors (Sheffield University, April 2024), and Education, Skills, and Talent (Work Advance, June 2024).
The report acknowledges the support of the Creative PEC policy, operations, and communications teams, and the report design was done by Mike Green at Green Doe. The report focuses on three levels: microclusters, clusters, and corridors within the UK's creative industries, and discusses UK trade in a global creative economy. It also examines audiences and workforce in the arts, culture, and heritage sectors.
The report concludes by emphasizing the need for improving economic statistics and data to better capture the multi-regional nature of creative industries to inform balanced policy decisions. By doing so, it aims to support the growth and development of the UK's creative industries in a way that is inclusive, innovative, and beneficial to all regions of the country.
[1] Creative PEC (2022). A Creative PEC State of the Nations. Retrieved from https://creativepec.org/state-of-the-nations/ [3] Creative PEC (2022). A Creative PEC State of the Nations. Retrieved from https://creativepec.org/state-of-the-nations/
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