Innovation and Competitiveness of the Creative Industries

Broadly speaking, the creative industries comprise activities "at the crossroads between arts, business and technology" and produce "symbolic products with a heavy reliance on intellectual property" (UNCTAD, 2004, p.4). This report provides a comprehensive picture of the innovation performance and competitiveness of the creative industries, along with their relative size and economic performance in the EU 27 countries. It is structured along the three main ways (primary, secondary and tertiary) in which the creative industries affect the economy. The primary economic impact of the creative industries refers to their direct contribution to the economy – in terms of employment, turnover and exports. The secondary economic impact involves spill-overs to the wider economy as a result of economic activity of the creative industries. In this context the study analyses creative supply chain linkages and the creative industries' contribution to stimulating regional growth. The tertiary economic impact, meanwhile, assesses the direct, but less quantifiable effects of the creative industries on the wider economy through their role in the innovation system. The last chapter of the report reflects on the policy rationales and initiatives throughout the EU member countries and the Union in support of the creative economy.