Creativity and Creative Sectors, Clusters and Networks

UK policy makers have been increasingly interested in creative industries because they can revamp declining manufacturing activities, whilst contributing to an increasingly large share of service sectors’ employment and value added. In particular, there is growing concern with developing those creative industries that can feed, through their value chain, to the growth and employment of the wider economy. However, policy documents tend to treat creative industries as a ‘homogeneous sector’ and conflate discrete concepts such as creativity and innovation.

Academic research on the dynamics of creative industries and the nature of their contribution to local, regional and national growth is buoyant and addressing key issues such as: what are the internal dynamics of these industries? How do they tend to cluster locally, whilst being networked more widely? And, what are the synergies with manufacturing sectors?

The two seminars sponsored by the Dean’s Funding Initiative will be an opportunity to bring together academic scholars and policy-makers to create a forum for dialogue and cross-fertilisation in view of improving our understanding on such topical issues and identify future prospects.

The seminars will be organised by Caroline Chapain (CURS, School of Public Policy) and Lisa De Propris (Birmingham Business School).

The first seminar titled “Creativity and the Creative Value Chain” will be held at the Birmingham Business School (University House) on November 30th 2007.

The second seminar titled “Creativity and the City: sector, cluster or network?” will be held at the Centre for Urban and Regional Studies (J G Smith Building) in March 2008.

For more information, please email c.a.chapain@bham.ac.uk and  l.de_propris@bham.ac.uk.

Starts: 30 Nov 2007
Venue: Birmingham University
Cost: N/A
Contact: c.a.chapain@bham.ac.uk