ABSTRACT
In recent years there has been a growing awareness that industries such as music, film, media, and design are important economic contributors to OECD economies. With this there has been increasing interest amongst both academics and policymakers in the cultural industries. This new focus on cultural production as industrial production has also had an influence on regional economic development policy communities and policies. Equally in the last decade, there has been an increased interest in many countries in the cluster approach as a tool for regional development. In this chapter we focus on the use of cluster building approaches to regional economic development in the area of cultural industries. Three case studies of areas in Sweden where initiatives have been taken to build clusters in cultural industries - respectively music, information and content design, and film are examined and it is suggested that a cluster inspired economic development strategy can be useful in relation to the cultural industries and to rural or peripheral areas. We suggest that whilst there is great variety in the ways in which the cluster approach has been used and the meaning it has had for various actors, certain common elements seem to characterize this type of regional development strategy. In particular, this entails the synthesis and merging of traditionally separate policy fields geared towards creating a more holistic approach to economic development and regional 'prosperity' that prioritises creative and cultural innovation.
