creative process, as creative individuals require social support and sources of new ideas and inspiration. It also constrains the productive process, as creative enterprises so often make light use of a wide array of materials, equipment and infrastructure; working in isolation, individual enterprises are unable to access resources that are more easily aggregated in larger centers. Finally, isolation severely limits market development for individual enterprises. To be sure, technologies such as the internet can help creative individuals and enterprises minimize the impacts of many of the constraints associated with geographical isolation. However, research in geographical economics clearly indicates that the clustering of creative individuals and enterprises offers competitive advantages to some regions. In rural New Mexico, where distances that separate communities can be great, it will not be possible to create the economies of scope that exist in larger metropolitan areas. That said, policies that promote collaboration, the sharing of resources and the aggregation of markets within and across regions of the state are critical to minimizing the disadvantages.
sectors of the creative economy with the potential to form clusters, whether through supply chains or shared pools of skilled labor. Steps should include: An in-depth and systematic review of the state’s film program. The review should consider both the linkages between incentives and the growth of related industries (from technology to tourism), and on the effectiveness of the program in creating a competitive advantage for the state that will pay dividends.
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A similar in-depth review of lab-centered technology transfer initiatives. This review should specifically consider the geography of linkages – are initiatives creating jobs in the state and are these giving rise to broader clusters?
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Potential areas for development may include: culinary and agro-tourism and other areas of experiential tourism; applied arts such as jewelry, design and architecture; technology industries, such as optics; and the application of high-speed computing in areas, such as data visualization and graphical rendering.
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In any application and as noted, programs to support the development of creative industries in New Mexico should focus on linkages with industries with potential for growth, and the time frame necessary for the maturation of the industry when jobs can be created without direct subsidy. Rationale: Regional competition for industries
that provide well-paying jobs is intense and initiatives to attract these industries are more and more costly. Regions are also learning that
Recommendation 11: Prioritize creative industries in the statewide economic development policy State support of the film industry and privatelyfunded initiatives to leverage the work of the national laboratories represent significant efforts to promote the development of creative industries in New Mexico. The state and economic development organizations should conduct careful reviews of these efforts and use the findings to inform new, more broadly-focused initiatives to develop the state’s arts, cultural and creative industries. Greater attention should be given to
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