Culture. The intelligent choice? Pau RausellKöster Econcult. Interuniversity institute for local development Valencia University Introduction Over the past 5 or 6 years uncountable academic publications, reports and statistics from European and international organisations have appeared discussing the role of innovation, culture or creativity in development processes. UNCTAD informs us that a "new development paradigm is rising from the links between the economy and culture which covers economic, cultural, technological and social aspects of development, both at macro and micro levels.”1 The EU reports2 that Cultural and Creative Industries help to strengthen declining local economies and the appearance of new economic activities, creating new sustainable jobs and boosting the appeal of European regions and cities. The OECD also emphasises the role of cultural and creative industries as a fulcrumfor social and personal development. These industries generate economic growth and are essentially at the heart of the definition "glocal competitiveness"3. This phenomenon is not specific to the European and western world but is a discourse that has caught on in different geographical areas. The Organisation of Ibero‐American Statesin its cultural letter highlights the strategic value of culture in the economy and its fundamental contribution to the economic, social and sustainable development of the region;4and the United Cities and Local Government World Forum in its Agenda 21 for culture, approved in 2004, stresses that while cultural goods and services should not merely be perceived as merchandise, " it is necessary to highlight the importance of culture as a generating factor of wealth and economic development.”5 This effervescenceproves, firstly, that the knowledge community, from the Academy to the think‐tanks, as well as the policy‐makers, are perceiving a growing key role of culture in development processes, and secondly, it should be emphasised that these multiple foci are creating, not without difficulties6, certain consensus concerning the concepts. Although culture, innovation, creativity and knowledge are becoming key words, we are still a long way from understanding all the relationships and causalities between these concepts and development. Consequently, rather than discussions concerning the definition of creative industries and the differing behaviour of each one of the sectors, scientific literature has insisted on the relationship between culture and development. 1
UNCTAD (2010): Creative Economy Report 2010. EUROPEAN COMMISSION (2010): GREEN BOOK. Liberate the potential of cultural and creative industries. 3 OCDE(2005): Culture and Local Development 4 OEI (2006): Carta Cultural Iberoamericana 5 UNITED CITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS (2004): Agenda 21 of Culture 6 One of the main discussions concerns the scope of the consolidation of the concept of creative industries, as opposed to the concept of cultural industries, which for some authors incorporates a liberal and "market" bias / slant. Garnham, N. (2011). According to Gaëtan Tremblay “the amalgamation of cultural industries and creative industries entails a potential risk: the dissolution of the specifity of cultural industries and the weakening of the argument in favour of the intervention of public powers.“ 2
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