IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/pra/mprapa/48758.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Creativity, cities and innovation

Author

Listed:
  • 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
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/48758/1/MPRA_paper_48758.pdf
    File Function: original version
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gernot Grabher, 2002. "The Project Ecology of Advertising: Tasks, Talents and Teams," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(3), pages 245-262.
    2. Peter Sunley & Steven Pinch & Suzanne Reimer & James Macmillen, 2008. "Innovation in a creative production system: the case of design," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 8(5), pages 675-698, September.
    3. Gilles Duranton & Diego Puga, 2001. "Nursery Cities: Urban Diversity, Process Innovation, and the Life Cycle of Products," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(5), pages 1454-1477, December.
    4. Jan Fagerberg, 2003. "Innovation: A Guide to the Literature," Working Papers on Innovation Studies 20031012, Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture, University of Oslo.
    5. repec:taf:eurpls:v:19:y:2010:i:4:p:555-574 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Emanuela Marrocu & Raffaele Paci, 2012. "Education or Creativity: What Matters Most for Economic Performance?," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 88(4), pages 369-401, October.
    7. Rune Dahl Fitjar & Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, 2014. "When local interaction does not suffice: sources of firm innovation in urban Norway," Chapters, in: André Torre & Frédéric Wallet (ed.), Regional Development and Proximity Relations, chapter 5, pages 195-222, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    8. Peter Wood, 2009. "Service Competitiveness and Urban Innovation Policies in the UK: The Implications of the 'London Paradox'," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(8), pages 1047-1059.
    9. Ian R. Gordon & Philip McCann, 2005. "Innovation, agglomeration, and regional development," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 5(5), pages 523-543, October.
    10. Gernot Grabher, 2001. "Ecologies of Creativity: The Village, the Group, and the Heterarchic Organisation of the British Advertising Industry," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 33(2), pages 351-374, February.
    11. Bjørn Asheim & Lars Coenen & Jan Vang, 2007. "Face-to-Face, Buzz, and Knowledge Bases: Sociospatial Implications for Learning, Innovation, and Innovation Policy," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 25(5), pages 655-670, October.
    12. Pratt, Andy C., 2008. "Creative cities: the cultural industries and the creative class," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 20704, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    13. Pratt, Andy C., 2006. "Advertising and creativity, a governance approach: a case study of creative agencies in London," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 20703, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    14. Roberta Comunian & Alessandra Faggian & Qian Cher Li, 2010. "Unrewarded careers in the creative class: The strange case of bohemian graduates," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 89(2), pages 389-410, June.
    15. Andy C Pratt, 2006. "Advertising and Creativity, a Governance Approach: A Case Study of Creative Agencies in London," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 38(10), pages 1883-1899, October.
    16. Coad, Alex & Rao, Rekha, 2008. "Innovation and firm growth in high-tech sectors: A quantile regression approach," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 633-648, May.
    17. Pierre Therrien, 2005. "City and innovation: Different size, different strategy," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(6), pages 853-877, September.
    18. Lee, Neil, 2011. "Free to grow? Assessing the barriers faced by actual and potential high growth firms," MPRA Paper 36396, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. Lee, Neil & Nathan, Max, 2011. "Does cultural diversity help innovation in cities: evidence from London firms," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 33579, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    20. Trüby, Johannes & Rammer, Christian & Müller, Kathrin, 2008. "The Role of Creative Industries in Industrial Innovation," ZEW Discussion Papers 08-109, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    21. Ron A. Boschma & Michael Fritsch, 2009. "Creative Class and Regional Growth: Empirical Evidence from Seven European Countries," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 85(4), pages 391-423, October.
    22. Roman Martin & Jerker Moodysson, 2010. "Innovation in Symbolic Industries: The Geography and Organization of Knowledge Sourcing," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(7), pages 1183-1203, September.
    23. Richard Florida & Charlotta Mellander & Kevin Stolarick, 2008. "Inside the black box of regional development: human capital, the creative class and tolerance," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 8(5), pages 615-649, September.
    24. Dominic Power, 2002. "“Cultural Industries” in Sweden: An Assessment of their Place in the Swedish Economy," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 78(2), pages 103-127, April.
    25. Tara Vinodrai, 2012. "Design in a downturn? Creative work, labour market dynamics and institutions in comparative perspective," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 6(1), pages 159-176.
    26. Ann Markusen, 2006. "Urban Development and the Politics of a Creative Class: Evidence from a Study of Artists," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 38(10), pages 1921-1940, October.
    27. Mark Freel & Richard Harrison, 2006. "Innovation and cooperation in the small firm sector: Evidence from 'Northern Britain'," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(4), pages 289-305.
    28. Rikard Eriksson & Urban Lindgren, 2009. "Localized mobility clusters: impacts of labour market externalities on firm performance," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 9(1), pages 33-53, January.
    29. Tara Vinodrai, 2006. "Reproducing Toronto’s Design Ecology: Career Paths, Intermediaries, and Local Labor Markets," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 82(3), pages 237-263, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    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. Carlo Corradini & Emma Folmer & Anna Rebmann, 2022. "Listening to the buzz: Exploring the link between firm creation and regional innovative atmosphere as reflected by social media," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 54(2), pages 347-369, March.
    3. Paula Prenzel & Niels Bosma & Veronique Schutjens & Erik Stam, 2022. "Cultural diversity and innovation-oriented entrepreneurship," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 2205, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Feb 2022.
    4. Obschonka, Martin & Tavassoli, Sam & Rentfrow, P. Jason & Potter, Jeff & Gosling, Samuel D., 2023. "Innovation and inter-city knowledge spillovers: Social, geographical, and technological connectedness and psychological openness," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(8).
    5. Thanos Fragkandreas, 2022. "Three Decades of Research on Innovation and Inequality: Causal Scenarios, Explanatory Factors, and Suggestions," Working Papers 60, Birkbeck Centre for Innovation Management Research, revised Feb 2022.
    6. Jan Stejskal & Petr Hajek, 2019. "Modelling collaboration and innovation in creative industries using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 44(3), pages 981-1006, June.
    7. Francesco Izzo & Barbara Masiello, 2015. "Strategie di innovazione nelle imprese creative di servizi," ECONOMIA E DIRITTO DEL TERZIARIO, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2015(1), pages 63-104.
    8. Paul Vallance, 2015. "Design employment in UK regional economies: Industrial and occupational approaches," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 30(6), pages 650-671, September.
    9. Glenn Dutcher & Cortney S. Rodet, 2022. "Which two heads are better than one? Uncovering the positive effects of diversity in creative teams," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(4), pages 884-897, November.
    10. 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.
    11. 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.
    12. 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.
    13. Zhang, Min & Partridge, Mark & Song, Huasheng, 2018. "Amenities and Geography of Innovation: Evidence from Chinese Cities," MPRA Paper 83673, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. 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].
    15. Brian Fabrègue & Léo J. Portal & Christopher Cockshaw, 2023. "Using smart people to build smarter: How smart cities attract and retain highly skilled workers to drive innovation (Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland)," Smart Cities and Regional Development (SCRD) Journal, Smart-EDU Hub, Faculty of Public Administration, National University of Political Studies & Public Administration, vol. 7(1), pages 9-30, March.
    16. 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.
    17. Min Zhang & Mark D. Partridge & Huasheng Song, 2020. "Amenities and the geography of innovation: evidence from Chinese cities," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 65(1), pages 105-145, August.
    18. 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.
    19. Josh Siepel & Roberto Camerani & Monica Masucci, 2021. "Skills combinations and firm performance," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 56(4), pages 1425-1447, April.
    20. 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.
    21. 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.
    22. Chiara Dalle Nogare & Monika Murzyn-Kupisz, 2021. "Do museums foster innovation through engagement with the cultural and creative industries?," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 45(4), pages 671-704, December.
    23. Nicola Cortinovis & Frank van der Wouden, 2021. "Better by design? Collaboration and performance in the board-game industry," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 2104, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Jan 2021.
    24. 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.
    25. 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.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Neil Lee & Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, 2013. "Original Innovation, Learnt Innovation and Cities: Evidence from UK SMEs," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 50(9), pages 1742-1759, July.
    2. Christine Benna Skytt-Larsen & Lars Winther, 2015. "Knowledge Production, Urban Locations and the Importance of Local Networks," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(9), pages 1895-1917, September.
    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. Andy C. Pratt, 2009. "Urban Regeneration: From the Arts `Feel Good' Factor to the Cultural Economy: A Case Study of Hoxton, London," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 46(5-6), pages 1041-1061, May.
    5. Eckhardt Bode & Lucia Perez Villar, 2017. "Creativity, education or what? On the measurement of regional human capital," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 96, pages 51-67, March.
    6. 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.
    7. Emanuela Marrocu & Raffaele Paci, 2013. "Regional Development and Creativity," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 36(3), pages 354-391, July.
    8. Kai Zhao & Yuesheng Zhang & Jinkai Zhao, 2020. "Exploring the Complexity of Location Choices of the Creative Class in Europe: Evidence from the EU Labor Force Survey 1995–2010," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-22, February.
    9. Silvia Cerisola, 2019. "A new perspective on the cultural heritage–development nexus: the role of creativity," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 43(1), pages 21-56, March.
    10. Silvia Cerisola & Elisa Panzera, 2021. "Cultural and Creative Cities and Regional Economic Efficiency: Context Conditions as Catalyzers of Cultural Vibrancy and Creative Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-23, June.
    11. Cheng-Yi Lin, 2017. "The reputation-building process and spatial strategies of creative industries: A case study of product design firms in Taipei," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 49(1), pages 186-204, January.
    12. Neil Lee, 2013. "Cultural Diversity, Cities and Innovation: firm Effects or City Effects?," SERC Discussion Papers 0144, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    13. Roberta Comunian & Alessandra Faggian, 2011. "Higher Education and the Creative City," Chapters, in: David Emanuel Andersson & Åke E. Andersson & Charlotta Mellander (ed.), Handbook of Creative Cities, chapter 10, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    14. Kamila Borseková & Anna Vaňová & Janka Šúrová & Pavol Kráľ & Kamila Turečková & Jan Nevima & Stanislav Martinát, 2021. "The Nexus between Creative Actors and Regional Development," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-18, March.
    15. Laima Gerlitz & Gunnar Klaus Prause, 2021. "Cultural and Creative Industries as Innovation and Sustainable Transition Brokers in the Baltic Sea Region: A Strong Tribute to Sustainable Macro-Regional Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-22, August.
    16. Roberto Antonietti, 2011. "From creativity to innovativeness: micro evidence from Italy," Openloc Working Papers 1117, Public policies and local development.
    17. Sara Cruz & Aurora Teixeira, 2015. "The neglected heterogeneity of spatial agglomeration and co-location patterns of creative employment: evidence from Portugal," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 54(1), pages 143-177, January.
    18. Emanuela Marrocu & Raffaele Paci, 2011. "Education or just Creativity: what matters most for economic performance?," ERSA conference papers ersa11p199, European Regional Science Association.
    19. Neil Lee, 2017. "Psychology and the Geography of Innovation," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 93(2), pages 106-130, March.
    20. Kai Zhao & Yuesheng Zhang & Jinkai Zhao & Xiaojing Li, 2020. "Understanding Contributions of the Creative Class to Sustainable Economic Growth in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-21, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Innovation; Creative Industries; Creative Occupations; Cities; Learning;
    All these keywords.

    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

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:48758. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Joachim Winter (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/vfmunde.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.