Comparing creative industries in Europe

TLDR

Creative industries are increasingly recognized as drivers of localised innovation and dynamism. The study aims to provide a methodologically consistent comparison of creative industries across France, Great Britain, Italy and Spain. The authors employ a consistent methodology to compare creative industries across these countries. The study maps spatial agglomerations of creative activities, finding urban concentration in Britain and France centered on capital cities, while Spain and Italy show significant concentrations in secondary cities; it also reveals differences in specialization profiles and policy roles, and argues that a lack of alignment with the EU smart agenda is concerning.

Abstract

Creative industries are increasingly understood to contribute to localised innovation and dynamism. This paper provides a methodologically consistent comparison of creative industries across France, Great Britain, Italy and Spain. We map spatial agglomerations of creative activities showing evidence of urban concentration, which for Britain and France coincides with the dominance of capital cities, whilst for Spain and Italy, significant concentrations can also be found in secondary cities. The four countries also differ in the specialisation profiles and in the role played by policy makers. A lack of dove-tailing with the European Union smart agenda is argued to be a cause of concern.