ABSTRACT
In this opening chapter, we set the scene for this intervention, tracing the conceptual development of the creative industries and its emergence in policy domains. We contextualise this in relation to the critical literature before setting out our own conceptual framework – with a set of operational definitions. We argue for the value of the idea of the creative economy, but one that explores the relationship between economic conditions and positive social and cultural outcomes. Finally, we introduce our research, based on a systematic analysis of the Clwstwr programme – part of the UK’s Creative Industry Cluster Programme (CICP). We describe the Clwstwr programme’s approach to R,D&I – focusing on the points of departure between these approaches and the traditional, techno-centric R&D literature – and describe methods we used to evaluate its impact and efficacy.
