ABSTRACT
In the United States, cultural industries became firmly embedded in local economic regeneration strategies in the 1970s (Frost-Kumpf and Dreeszen 1995, Whitt 1987), whilst in the UK, this occurred in the 1980s. The result is that cultural industries, in contrast to many other consumer services, are no longer portrayed as an ‘extravagant cost’ to localities, but rather as an important weapon in their economic regeneration armoury. The aim of this chapter, therefore, is to evaluate the potential contributions of cultural industries to local economic development. To commence, the magnitude of the cultural industries sector will be outlined, along with an analysis of the ways in which they contribute to local economic revitalization. Unlike the previous chapters, however, and because of the considerable number of policy initiatives taken towards the cultural industries, this will be followed by a charting of how cultural industries policy has changed over time, a typology of current approaches and a mapping of how cultural industries policy varies spatially. Finally, the ability of current cultural industries policy to regenerate local economies will be critically evaluated and several modifications suggested in how this sector is used to pursue local economic development.
