ABSTRACT
The Aspirational perspective is most common among cities, regions, and countries that buy into the idea of the cultural economy as one a driver of their local economy, be it by increasing employment, generating exports, bringing in tourism, or to formalise existing activities. Claims about the scope and importance of the creative economy have inflated considerably since the cultural and 'creative industries' became part of global policy discourses. South Korea's engagement with the creative economy is strongly connected with its political culture. The far-reaching influence of policy and regulation makes it difficult to consider the cultural economy an ecology or eco-system. The cultural economy has long suffered from a blurring of analysis, ideology, and strategy in the observations and claims that drive policy and strategy debates. The chapter identifies five perspectives: Celebratory, Aspirational, Refusenik, Agnostic, and Reflexive. It also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
