Reaching out from the creative silo policy briefing

Policy has successfully championed the arts and creative industries. They now represent an important sector on which the UK will place increasing weight.

However, basic questions that have been answered for other sectors remain unresolved for the creative industries. Despite significant efforts to date, this continues to present a challenge for evidence-based policymaking.

As a mature sector, the creative industries must face up to the challenges of their low productivity growth and of ensuring that the benefits they produce reach out across the UK's economy and society. They need to understand how new artistic ideas influence wider creative contributions - and grasp the opportunities presented by technological change and global markets.

Research needs to treat the arts and creative industries with the same degree of rigour as more traditional sectors. By applying existing models that are known to work in other sectors of the economy, policymakers can develop a richer set of policy prescriptions than public funding alone.

Future innovation policy should focus on supporting businesses to identify and adopt powerful new technologies, helping them think through the related IP implications and supporting the development of the collaborative networks that are fundamental to innovation.

Published
March 2007

Author
NESTA

Report
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