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Creativity, cities and innovation

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  • Lee, Neil
  • Rodríguez-Pose, Andrés

Abstract

The creative industries have long been seen as an innovative sector. More recent research posits that creative occupations are also a fundamental, but overlooked, driver of innovation. Theory also suggests cities are important for both creative industries and occupations, with urban environments helping firms innovate. Yet little empirical work has considered the links between creative industries, occupations, cities and innovation at the firm level. This paper addresses this gap using a sample of over 9,000 UK SMEs. Our results stress that creative industries firms are more likely to introduce original product innovations, but not those learnt from elsewhere. Creative occupations, however, appear a more robust general driver of innovation. We find no support for the hypothesis that urban creative industries firms are particularly innovative. However, creative occupations are used in cities to introduce product innovations learnt elsewhere. The results suggest future work needs to seriously consider the importance of occupations in empirical studies of innovation.

Suggested Citation

  • Lee, Neil & Rodríguez-Pose, Andrés, 2013. "Creativity, cities and innovation," MPRA Paper 48758, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:48758
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Brunow, Stephan & Hammer, Andrea & McCann, Philip, 2017. "Innovation and location in German knowledge intensive business service firms," IAB Discussion Paper 201722, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    2. Niccolò Innocenti & Luciana Lazzeretti, 2018. "Relatedness and growth: The impact of creative industries to the wider economy," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 1819, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Apr 2018.
    3. Neil Lee & Andr�s Rodr�guez-Pose, 2014. "Innovation in Creative Cities: Evidence from British Small Firms," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(6), pages 494-512, August.
    4. Zhang, Min & Partridge, Mark & Song, Huasheng, 2018. "Amenities and Geography of Innovation: Evidence from Chinese Cities," MPRA Paper 83673, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Brunow, Stephan & Birkeneder, Antonia & Rodriguez-Pose, Andrés, 2017. "Creative and science oriented employees and firm innovation : a key for smarter cities?," IAB Discussion Paper 201724, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    6. Craig, Steven G. & Hoang, Edward C. & Kohlhase, Janet E., 2017. "Does closeness in virtual space complement urban space?," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 22-29.
    7. Andrés Rodríguez-Pose & Neil Lee, 2020. "Hipsters vs. Geeks? Creative workers, STEM and innovation in US cities," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 2021, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Apr 2020.
    8. Stephan Brunow & Antonia Birkeneder & Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, 2018. "Creative and science-oriented employees and firm-level innovation," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 1808, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Feb 2018.
    9. Michael R. Betz & Mark D. Partridge & Belal Fallah, 2016. "Smart cities and attracting knowledge workers: Which cities attract highly-educated workers in the 21st century?," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 95(4), pages 819-841, November.
    10. Stephan Brunow & Bastian Stockinger, 2013. "Establishments' and Regions' Cultural Diversity as a Source of Innovation: Evidence from Germany," Norface Discussion Paper Series 2013022, Norface Research Programme on Migration, Department of Economics, University College London.
    11. Neil Lee & Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, 2014. "Innovation in creative cities: Evidence from British small firms," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 1422, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Nov 2014.
    12. Mario Mustilli & Filomena Izzo & Domenico Graziano, 2017. "Innovation and Development through Local Creative Industries: The Goldsmith Center in Caserta – Tarì," International Business Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 10(10), pages 57-65, October.
    13. Rafael Boix-Domenech & Vicent Soler-Marco, 2017. "Creative service industries and regional productivity," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 96(2), pages 261-279, June.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Innovation; Creative Industries; Creative Occupations; Cities; Learning;

    JEL classification:

    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O38 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Government Policy
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes
    • R58 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Regional Government Analysis - - - Regional Development Planning and Policy

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