Creative Economy in Global Economic Crisis

Discussion on creative industries as a major constituent of the creative economy in Western countries has been lasting for few decades. They are often seen as a changing paradigm of future economic growth in developed countries, which are no longer centered on manufacturing output and labor productivity but rather focused on attracting human capital. A lot of research has been done to understand their economic properties, production chains and their potential to drive economic development. After acknowledging their contribution to economic growth, creative industries came into the fore of cultural and economic policy agenda. Their growth opportunities are attributed to urban areas in post-industrial regions that have a specific contextual setting such as a broad market as well as a concentration of cultural and economic activities. The recent crisis brought new research dimension for the CIs discourse. This master thesis combines the discussions of the pre- and post-crisis period on CIs and analyzes their growth potential in creative city during this recession. It analyzes the case of Amsterdam, which as a result of its path dependent development is an exemplary embodiment of the concept of a creative city. The study is based on the assumption that CIs in Amsterdam are less susceptible to economic crises then the traditional economy of the city. By exploring their development trends over the past ten years, and more specifically in 2013, the research aims to evaluate the extent to which they were affected by economic downturn and identify the factors that influenced their development. The results of this study give further implications for economic and cultural policy in the city towards supportive environment creation and further growth strategies of CIs.