Watching ThemWatching Us

Phil Wood

Watching ThemWatching Us

What can Britain learn from it?

Why is the world so interested in British ideas about creativity?

Watching ThemWatching Us

United States

Norway

Russia

Conclusions for the UK

United States

Didn’t they invent the Creative Economy?

In 2002 America produced $626 billion worth of creative products and services

Growth 1997-2002 exceeded growth in the US economy as a whole by 46%

Employment grew at 27% more than US economy as a whole

Copyright became America’s number one export

United States

or

CORECOPYRIGHT

United States

REASONS FOR THE INTEREST

•Economic restructuring

•Global competition

•Local/regional consciousness

•Search for new ideas

•Richard Florida

United States

RISE OF THE CREATIVE CLASS

•Quasi-scientific/evidence-based

•League tables

•City competitiveness

•Linked tech/cultural industries/arts

United States

ISSUES

•Isolationalism isn’t working

•Policy stagnation

•Lack of federal leadership

•Separation of business and culture

•Urban sprawl

•FLIGHT of the Creative Class

Norway

KIRKENES

OSLO

1600 miles

Norway

REASONS FOR THE INTEREST

•At a national turning point

•Strong economy – uncertain course

•Isolation from mainstream

•Depopulation/deindustrialisation

•Tourism/image/branding

Percent change in CI Employment at municipal level (figures in brackets the number of Nordic municipalities in this range)

Source: Dominic Power

Norway

ISSUES

•Local not national leadership

•Regeneration not arts-led

•In/out – North/South – new/old economy

Russia

MOSCOW

ARKHANGEL’SK

NORILSK“hell on earth” (The Guardian)

Russia

REASONS FOR INTEREST

•Economic restructuring

•New economic spaces

•City/regional consciousness

•Vulnerability of Russian culture

•Survival of public cultural infrastructure

•Ability to visit the West

Russia

ISSUES

•Lack of internal market/community of taste

•Access to external markets

•Anti-globalisation tendency

•Lack of security

•No bohemian tradition

•Limited spatial awareness

CommonFactors

•Economic change

•Isolation/distance

•Perceived threat

•Local v global culture

•Demographic change

•Lack of national leadership

•How to move beyond cultural tourism?

Lessons for the UK

•Acknowledge our achievement

•Policy-making one of our best exports

•A bridgehead for other exports

•From Creative Economy to Creative Society?