Researchers at ZHdK study aspects of value creation at the interface between culture, business and technology, concentrating on the three main areas of Creative Industries, Creative Economy and Creative Economies. ZHdK and the University of St. Gallen take part in discussions about Creative Economies.
The term Creative Industries refers to those creative and cultural enterprises which have a primarily commercial focus and are involved in the creation, production, distribution and dissemination over the media of cultural and creative goods and services. The concept is therefore based on the principle of demarcation, identifying sectors of the overall economy which are dedicated to, and ultimately define, creative industry. Official statistics are used to draw conclusions about companies, employees, turnover and gross value added. Basic principles are also identified for use in national assessments of the dynamics of the creative industries.
The concept of the Creative Economy, on the other hand, is more dynamic and permeable. Following the example of the UK innovation foundation Nesta, first of all a set of so-called creative professions or jobs was identified (“creative occupations”). Then all sectors of industry were analysed to identify the role these creative occupations play in them (“creative intensity”). Those sectors which demonstrated a certain minimum proportion of creative jobs and occupations were designated as “creative” and the rest as “non-creative”. Finally, the rate of employment was calculated. The Creative Economy is defined in terms of the total number of people employed in the creative industries and all creative jobs in other sectors.
The study of Creative Economies provides an alternative perspective on the traditional debate about creative industries: instead of assuming that certain sectors and disciplines are creative, it is more about understanding where and how new things are created – by experimentation, improvisation, design, reflection, etc. It is about recognizing how what already exists can be criticized, questioned, challenged and seen in a radically new way. And about seeing how the process of adding value – new products, business concepts, strategies, corporate models, leadership architectures – can be enabled, implemented and made a success.
CreativeEconomies research venture
At ZHdK the debate about Creative Economies is primarily conducted in the Department of Cultural Analysis and is documented and visualized at www.creativeeconomies.com. This Internet platform is a central component of the CreativeEconomies venture and is being established by the Department of Cultural Analysis at Zurich University of the Arts and the RISE Management Innovation Lab at the University of St. Gallen, in order to intensify the debate about Creative Economies, subject it to critical analysis and argue about it.