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Arts Districts, Universities, and the Rise of Media Arts
- Brookings Institution Press
- Chapter
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On the surface, the expected relationship between indicators of economic growth and the presence of universities and arts districts might seem fairly straightforward. Universities are generally associated far more closely with innovation, at least the kinds of innovation measured in terms of patents and inventions, while arts districts are typically thought to promote or certify greater intensity of employment in artistic fields. Regardless of intuition, the relationship between these local clusters of investment and indicators of economic growth is ultimately an empirical one, and careful data analysis shows that a casual intuition is not supported. Arts- and media arts–related employment seems to follow universities, while innovation in media arts follows arts districts. The empirical evidence presented in this chapter reveals the impact of arts districts and universities in select metropolitan areas on the development of the media arts subsector in terms of employment shares and patenting rates. By overlapping the two types of clusters, the quantitative analysis teases out the roles of different approaches to promoting economic growth. The analysis emphasizes new media arts because their high profile attracts attention from regional economic development advocates and because they bridge the gap between the arts and new technology and patented inventions. The findings highlight the role of public investments and policy in crafting successful and sustained development and point to the critical role of selective sorting (migration of people and jobs) and other indirect impacts. The conclusion highlights some policy implications of the findings. 7 Arts Districts, Universities, and the Rise of Media Arts douglas s. noonan and shiri m. breznitz 118 07-2473-5 07 Noonan_Rushton 978-0-08157-2473-5 3/13/13 9:42 AM Page 118 Arts, Universities, and Economic Development: What Do We Know? To examine the impact of major universities and arts districts on local economic development in terms of both jobs and innovation, especially in the media arts sector, several strands of literature must be woven together. Research on the direct impact of arts institutions and artists themselves on local economies, their export bases, and the general composition of the economy is discussed in other chapters in this volume. Culture and the Arts in Economic Development The idea that culture affects economic development is not new.1 Investment in the arts can help revitalize communities,2 and investment in large cultural institutions and facilities has become central to cities’strategies to attract and retain certain types of companies and the highly skilled, creative workers that they employ.3 Over the past decade, a large literature has developed around “the creative class”and the creative economy more generally.4 In short, much of this literature divides the impacts of arts and culture on local economies into two components: direct income from local cultural institutions and arts production; and indirect impacts of arts and creative activities in attracting particular types of (high human capital) employees and (high-technology, progressive) firms to a region. Arts and cultural production can enhance a region’s export base, and cultural institutions can attract outside funding and visitors.5 Yet the sustainability and relative economic performance of cities’ cultural investments remain in doubt.6 This chapter emphasizes the more indirect processes through which arts affect growth. A region’s arts and culture can be seen as a strong promoter of amenitydriven rather than traditional productivity-led growth in a region7 by helping to shape the local environment or “scene” in which firms and households choose to work and live.8 The superior performance of urban areas in adding jobs over time might result from concentrated cultural industries and the diversified economic base that they bring. The direction of the causal arrow in this relationship, however, is disputed.9 Whether or not a region or city attracts new resources, its ability to make use of existing resources and amenities in new and different ways can be a recipe for economic growth. The endogenous growth theory of Paul Romer emphasizes that knowledge generation comes from within the economic system .10 The cultural and arts sectors of the economy may contribute much to new growth by fostering creativity and new combinations of local resources— Arts Districts, Universities, and the Rise of Media Arts 119 07-2473-5 07 Noonan_Rushton 978-0-08157-2473-5 3/13/13 9:42 AM Page 119 [44.192.47.250] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 13:17 GMT) some of which surely include individuals with high human capital and creative talents. Universities in Economic Development Another strand...