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Accounting for Creativity in the European Union: A multi-level analysis of individual competence, labour market structure, and systems of education and training

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  • Edward Lorenz
  • Bengt-Åke Lundvall

Abstract

Some workplaces offer employees opportunities to creatively use their own ideas while engaged in learning and problem-solving activity without much interference from managers and bosses. In this paper we analyse the preconditions for creative work. Using multilevel logistic modelling we examine what characteristics of the individual, the organisation of work and the national institutional context promote creative work. At the national level we focus on the effects of national education and training systems and labour markets. The analysis demonstrates, not surprisingly, that individuals with higher education and a certain amount of work experience are more likely to have creative jobs. It also shows that creative jobs are more likely at workplaces where managers support employees and where work is organised to promote knowledge diversity. In terms of international differences, we find that creative work tends to be more developed in Scandinavian countries than in the South and East of Europe. Interestingly, we find significant positive relations between the likelihood of creativity at work, on the one hand, and the development of broad competence-based systems of education and labour market flexicurity, on the other. This implies that policy attempts to attract 'the creative class' as it has been defined by Richard Florida through promoting diversity should at the national level be combined with the institutional reform of Europe's education systems and labour markets. Such policies may extend the category of creative employees to include significant parts of what Florida defines as 'the working class'. Copyright The Author 2010. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Cambridge Political Economy Society. All rights reserved., Oxford University Press.

Suggested Citation

  • Edward Lorenz & Bengt-Åke Lundvall, 2011. "Accounting for Creativity in the European Union: A multi-level analysis of individual competence, labour market structure, and systems of education and training," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 35(2), pages 269-294.
  • Handle: RePEc:oup:cambje:v:35:y:2011:i:2:p:269-294
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/cje/beq014
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    Cited by:

    1. Guy Parmentier & Séverine Leloarne-Lemaire & Mustapha Belkhouja, 2017. "Female Creativity in Organizations: What is the Impact of Team Composition in Terms of Gender during Ideation Processes? [La creatividad de las mujeres en las organizaciones: ¿Cuál es el impacto de," Post-Print hal-01700895, HAL.
    2. Malo Mofakhami, 2022. "Is Innovation Good for European Workers? Beyond the Employment Destruction/Creation Effects, Technology Adoption Affects the Working Conditions of European Workers," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 13(3), pages 2386-2430, September.
    3. Edward Lorenz, 2011. "Do labour markets and educational and training systems matter for innovation outcomes? A multi-level analysis for the EU-27," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 38(9), pages 691-702, November.
    4. Guy Parmentier & Séverine Leloarne-Lemaire & Mustapha Belkhouja, 2017. "Female Creativity in Organizations: What is the Impact of Team Composition in Terms of Gender during Ideation Processes? [La creatividad de las mujeres en las organizaciones: ¿Cuál es el impacto de," Grenoble Ecole de Management (Post-Print) hal-01700895, HAL.
    5. Arne Martin Fevolden & Lars Coenen & Teis Hansen & Antje Klitkou, 2017. "The Role of Trials and Demonstration Projects in the Development of a Sustainable Bioeconomy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-15, March.
    6. Weihua Su & Zhen Wang & Chonghui Zhang & Tomas Balezentis, 2023. "Determinants of the innovation efficiency of strategic emerging enterprises: evidence from the robust frontiers," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 56(3), pages 1433-1465, June.
    7. Nathalie Greenan & Ekaterina Kalugina & Mouhamadou Moustapha Niang, 2017. "Work Organisation and Workforce Vunerability to Non-Employment: Evidence from OECD’s Survey on Adult Skills (PIAAC) [Organisation du travail et vulnérabilité au non-emploi : une étude empirique à p," Working Papers hal-02162457, HAL.
    8. Sverre J. Herstad, 2018. "Beyond ‘related variety’: how inflows of skills shape innovativeness in different industries," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(2), pages 396-420, February.
    9. Storz, Cornelia & Riboldazzi, Federico & John, Moritz, 2015. "Mobility and innovation: A cross-country comparison in the video games industry," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 121-137.
    10. Edward Lorenz, 2013. "Innovation, work Organisation and Systems of Social Protection," Post-Print halshs-00931547, HAL.
    11. Sverre J. Herstad & Tore Sandven & Espen Solberg, 2013. "Location, education and enterprise growth," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(10), pages 1019-1022, July.
    12. Stephane Lhuillery & Julio Raffo & Intan Hamdan-Livramento, 2016. "Measuring creativity: Learning from innovation measurement," WIPO Economic Research Working Papers 31, World Intellectual Property Organization - Economics and Statistics Division.
    13. Bloch, Carter & Bugge, Markus M., 2013. "Public sector innovation—From theory to measurement," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 133-145.
    14. Herstad, Sverre J. & Sandven, Tore & Ebersberger, Bernd, 2015. "Recruitment, knowledge integration and modes of innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 138-153.
    15. Catherine Ragasa, 2016. "Organizational and Institutional Barriers to the Effectiveness of Public Expenditures: The Case of Agricultural Research Investments in Nigeria and Ghana," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 28(4), pages 660-689, September.

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