Guest editorial

Abstract

The creative economy is deadlong live the creative-social economies Introduction: defining the field In this paper, we discuss the possible evolution from the creative industries (CIs) and creative economy (CE) towards creative-social economies (CSE). However, before explaining why we believe there is an increasing overlap between these two areas of research and policy intervention, it is crucial to define the two areas separately and consider the definition and critical aspects of each field of research.Creative industries and creative economies. In the past 20 years, we have read widely around the role of the CE and CIs in economic development discourses and agendas for growth globally (UNESCO and UNDP, 2013;De Beukelaer, 2014;Sternberg, 2017). Directing attention towards CIs for the specific role they might play in economic development started to build up from the first Australian Creative Nation report (Radbourne, 1997) and the globally acclaimed and replicated definition provided by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in 1998. Gross (2020) has undertaken an historical review of how the term CIs firstly developed in the UK within the newly elected Labour government in 1997. In the new definition the emphasis was put from the very start on the potential for these industries to create wealth: [. . .] those activities which have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent and which have the potential for wealth and job creation through the generation and exploitation of intellectual property" (DCMS, 1998).The definitionand associated measures of the economic contribution of these sectors towards national GDP, employment and exportspushed towards their complete separation from the arts and cultural field, supposedly to be more socially and communityoriented. This separation has caused a rift in the understanding how creativity works favouring two different business models (CIs as private/for-profit industries and arts and culture as made up by not for profit/public companies) rather than an ecological complexity perspective (Comunian, 2011(Comunian, , 2019. Even if within those initial discussions and in the words of the then Minister of Culture Chris Smith the two were profoundly intertwined and connected:Five principal reasons for the state subsidy of the arts in the modern world: to ensure excellence; to protect innovation; to assist access for as many people as possible, both to create and The special issue builds on the discussion and papers that were presented during an event entitled "SE, SI and the CE: current knowledge and shared research" which was hosted in the framework of the three-day workshop on "Dancing over Ideas of Research for a Responsible Innovation" (19-21 November 2018) co-organised and co-funded by King's College London (UK), Nanyang Technological University Singapore (NTU-King's College London M0600H0013, NTU-NISTH, NTU School of Art, Design and media and NTU-ADM Centre for Asian Art and Design) and the University of Applied Arts (Vienna). For information and up...

Culinary movements and higher education collaborating for sustainable development

“…Our findings build on previous research, which highlight the central role that higher education institutions play in developing local and regional economies (Comunian et al, 2020; Hauge et al, 2018) and add to the discussions that highlight the ways in which higher education institutions and the cultural creative industries interact (Comunian and Gilmore, 2014; Gilmore and Comunian, 2016). We extend this discussion by broadening current conceptions of what higher education institutions might look like and how they might change during interaction with surrounding environments.…”

“…Previous research has shown the various ways in which higher education institutions interact and shape the local communities they reside in (Comunian et al, 2013;Madichie and Agu, 2023). Fostering innovation and technological development (Gunasekara, 2006), higher education has been cast as central cultural and economic players in their local communities ( Åstebro and Bazzazian, 2011;Comunian et al, 2020). Whereas most of these studies focus on the role of higher education in relation to technological development (Lundvall, 2016;Mayer, 2007), a growing stream of research has made efforts to capture the various ways in which higher education and the cultural creative industries interact (Comunian and Gilmore, 2014;Gilmore and Comunian, 2016).…”

“…The emergence of these movements raises the question of what role local institutions, such as higher education institutions (HEI), play in enabling or shaping these efforts. Higher education institutions have historically been key cultural and economic players in their local communities (Comunian et al, 2020; Madichie and Agu, 2023). Nevertheless, how higher education institutions interact with cultural actors aiming to address societal challenges is yet to be clearly defined as pointed out by Gilmore and Comunian (2016).…”

Innovación social y ciencia ciudadana en la gestión del patrimonio en un escenario post COVID-19

“…Al respecto, se está en un punto de inflexión en el cual gestión cultural ha iniciado un salto adaptativo hacia lo que se ha llamado Economía Social Creativa (Comunian, Rickmers y Nanetti, 2020). Dado el carácter social de la gestión cultural, los esfuerzos de adaptabilidad deben de enfocarse en la cooperación antes que en la competición.…”

“Why and how higher education is so important for cultural and creative industries’ sustainable development?”

“…Like other industrial sectors, also the CCIs are adopting sustainable practices to green their value chain: as highlighted by a recent report of EIF-KEA (2021), CCIs are rethinking ways cultural products and services are produced and consumed by adopting more sustainable practices. Overall, we see a significant shift - especially after the 2008 global financial crisis - towards creative-social economies (Comunian et al, 2020) and towards engagement with environmental issues (Oakley and Banks, 2020). For example, recycled materials are more used in production processes; plastic bottles are replaced by more eco-friendly solutions during cultural events; saving energy lighting systems are implemented in museums and other cultural spaces; certifications like the Creative Green Certification explicitly designed for the arts and CCIs by Julie’s Bicycle 1 are more and more diffused; the fashion industry is implementing eco-friendly practices in the production system and thinking about extensive products’ lifecycle (cf.…”