Cultural and creative ecosystems: a review of theories and methods, towards a new research agenda

‘Covid-19 opened the pandora box’ of the creative city: creative and cultural workers against precarity in Milan

“…CCWs have reacted to their individualised self-worth and entrepreneurial subjectivity with new practices of collective action; they have made their work much more visible in the city and requested better social security and working conditions for the future; finally, they are questioning and considering how their mobility and their relationship with the creative city can be reshaped. Through the proposed theoretical framework and data collected, we can understand the impact of C-19 on three key dimensions of neoliberalism that have shaped CCWs livelihoods and understand the way the pandemic has impacted CCWs in a more holistic and ecological approach (De Bernard et al, 2021;England, 2021).…”

Introduction to A Modern Guide to Creative Economies

“…In fact, while quantitative methods are key and important to identify trends and macro-dynamics (Higgs et al, 2008), other more qualitative methods are also needed to explore rationales, motivations, and push and pull factors in the development of the sector and, above all, its impact on society. As highlighted in this book, ecological and network-based approaches have been very promising in breaking some of the silos in which our understanding of creative economies has been confined in the past 20 years (Dovey et al, 2016;de Bernard et al, 2021). Another important contribution comes from new and old approaches to mapping and contextualising the value of creative economies in space, from local communities to regional economies and national and international profiles (Bakhshi et al, 2013;Brennan-Horley et al, 2010).…”

“…Another important role is played by international policy organisations trying to harmonise definitions and data across countries, either at the European level (Wiesand and Söndermann, 2005) or internationally (UNDP and UNESCO, 2013). The relationship between public, private and non-profit activities varies across countries and shapes not only their trajectory but also the inclusiveness and sustainability of some of the sectors included in these complex ecologies (de Bernard et al, 2021;Wilson and Gross, 2017). It is essential to highlight the ecological nature of the creative economies, which are made up of complex relationships and interdependencies between more informal activities characterised precisely by not being explicitly recognised or directly supported, and more formal and visible ones.…”

“…In the last 20 years, there has been increased attention to the role of networks and ecologies in creative economies research, as mapped by de Bernard et al (2021). However, these studies still struggle to capture and evidence the broader connections of creative economies within our social and cultural life, beyond economic supply chains.…”

Access and diversity in South African craft and design: The work of craft intermediaries in Cape Town

“…However, the opportunities to pursue a craft career or develop a sustainable livelihood from craft are not only down to the individual or groups involved. Recent research on the CCIs (Comunian, 2019) has highlighted the importance of adopting a complexity perspective when researching the sector and the importance of looking at creative economies as ecosystems (de Bernard et al, 2021). Building on this framework, we acknowledge that current research has concentrated on both the micro (individual) experiences and the macro (policy and markets) structures concerning the craft sector.…”