Cultural Heritage, Creativity, and Local Development …
17
To investigate this idea, the work provides a conceptual framework that allows
for the identification and measurement of different types of creative talents (artistic,
scientific, and economic) and all their possible interactions, according to the belief
that it is the “mental cross-fertilization” (Andersson et al. 1993; Camagni 2011)
between different creative talents that generate innovative and ground-breaking ideas
and—through this mechanism—drives economic development. Creativity is thus
defined as ideation based on talents of different types, i.e., stemming from different
domains (Cerisola 2018a).
In an attempt to restrain the limitations of the different existing approaches (e.g.,
UK-DCMS 2001; WIPO 2003; Santagata 2009; UNCTAD 2010; Florida 2002), a
new measurement of different types of creativity is proposed and the potential inspirational role played by cultural heritage on the different creative talents is econometrically explored, along with other possible determinants of different types of
creativity (Cerisola 2018b). The initial expectations and previous results are confirmed in the empirical (econometric) studies: cultural heritage does not seem to
play any generalized direct role on economic development, but it has an indirect
effect on regional performance through its significant inspirational impact on artistic
and scientific creative talents.
4 Conclusions: Future Research Directions
The research program does not stop at this level. Two additional new research streams
are put forward and will provide interesting results over the upcoming years. The first
one is to investigate in greater depth the idea of intangible elements mediating the
link between cultural heritage and local development, by focusing on another very
important element, i.e., sense of belonging in local communities (Perucca 2019). The
results of this additional intangible element may give more robustness to the results
obtained with creativity and to the general idea that intangible cultural elements are
indeed important mediators of cultural heritage and local development. The results
are crucial for the launching of successful cultural policies on a local level. The
second stream of research relates to cultural and creative industries (CCIs), with
respect to their location behavior and their support to local productivity. Despite
the vast literature on the issue, a large effort in an operational definition of CCIs is
required. Implications for the right strategies relating to such industries exist and call
for effective and well-thought-out conceptual and empirical analyses.
References
Andersson, Å. E., Batten, D. F., Kobayashi, K., & Yoshikawa, K. (1993). Logistical dynamics,
creativity and infrastructure. In Å. E. Andersson, D. F. Batten, K. Kobayashi, & K. Yoshikawa
17
To investigate this idea, the work provides a conceptual framework that allows
for the identification and measurement of different types of creative talents (artistic,
scientific, and economic) and all their possible interactions, according to the belief
that it is the “mental cross-fertilization” (Andersson et al. 1993; Camagni 2011)
between different creative talents that generate innovative and ground-breaking ideas
and—through this mechanism—drives economic development. Creativity is thus
defined as ideation based on talents of different types, i.e., stemming from different
domains (Cerisola 2018a).
In an attempt to restrain the limitations of the different existing approaches (e.g.,
UK-DCMS 2001; WIPO 2003; Santagata 2009; UNCTAD 2010; Florida 2002), a
new measurement of different types of creativity is proposed and the potential inspirational role played by cultural heritage on the different creative talents is econometrically explored, along with other possible determinants of different types of
creativity (Cerisola 2018b). The initial expectations and previous results are confirmed in the empirical (econometric) studies: cultural heritage does not seem to
play any generalized direct role on economic development, but it has an indirect
effect on regional performance through its significant inspirational impact on artistic
and scientific creative talents.
4 Conclusions: Future Research Directions
The research program does not stop at this level. Two additional new research streams
are put forward and will provide interesting results over the upcoming years. The first
one is to investigate in greater depth the idea of intangible elements mediating the
link between cultural heritage and local development, by focusing on another very
important element, i.e., sense of belonging in local communities (Perucca 2019). The
results of this additional intangible element may give more robustness to the results
obtained with creativity and to the general idea that intangible cultural elements are
indeed important mediators of cultural heritage and local development. The results
are crucial for the launching of successful cultural policies on a local level. The
second stream of research relates to cultural and creative industries (CCIs), with
respect to their location behavior and their support to local productivity. Despite
the vast literature on the issue, a large effort in an operational definition of CCIs is
required. Implications for the right strategies relating to such industries exist and call
for effective and well-thought-out conceptual and empirical analyses.
References
Andersson, Å. E., Batten, D. F., Kobayashi, K., & Yoshikawa, K. (1993). Logistical dynamics,
creativity and infrastructure. In Å. E. Andersson, D. F. Batten, K. Kobayashi, & K. Yoshikawa