There is also a need to do more research on (UNESCO, 2018).
Applications to generate new content
measuring digital creative products and services, and through artificial intelligence are being used by artists,
data collection and analysis. programmers, engineers, mathematicians, architects,
The use of creative products by domestic industries designers, computer animators, etc. Yet, the public
and households is probably more important from sector may lose its agency in the creative sector if it
a development point of view than pure exports. fails to address the rise and market concentration of
Thus, in addition to the traditional indicators based large platforms that control data and have a monopoly
on trade and production, it is desirable to have a on artificial intelligence.
measure of domestic use (production plus imports,
minus exports). The domestic approach is also more
Endnotes:
in line with the SDGs philosophy, as it measures
consumption of cultural and creative products and 1
United Nations Conference for Trade and Development
has direct implications on household welfare.
(2008), “Creative Economy Report 2008: The challenge
Yet, it remains difficult to measure the domestic of assessing the creative economy towards informed
production of creative products for most developing policy-making”, United Nations publications, Geneva.
countries. A possible approach would be to apply https://unctad.org/en/Docs/ditc20082cer_en.pdf Unit-
the “creative trident methodology” (Higgs, Cunning ed Nations Conference for Trade and Development
and Bakhshi, 2008), which focuses on employment, (2010), “Creative Economy Report 2010: Creative Econ-
rather than production or trade data. The Trident omy: A Feasible Development Option”, United Nations
publications, Geneva. https://unctad.org/en/Docs/
Methodology distinguishes three categories of
ditctab20103_en.pdf Please also see paper by Hender-
creative labour: (a) “specialist” mode: workers
son, M and Escaith, H. “What is Creative Economy” at
within a creative profession (determined by
https://unitednations-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/person-
occupations) within a creative sector (determined al/marisa_henderson_un_org/EXMHZr5hAABLvAFWKA-
by industries); (b) “support” mode: workers in a g6ASQB7HouyLBD0tTzI3TYoO7XAQ?e=5rnfck2
non-creative profession within a creative sector; United Nations Industrial Development Organization
and (c) “embedded” mode: workers in a creative (UNIDO), Annual Report 2018, Vienna 2019 https://
occupation outside the creative industries. We may www.unido.org/api/opentext/documents/down-
need to start the conversation at the United Nations load/13898291/unido-file-13898291
level and encourage intergovernmental working 3
Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Towards a Circular Econ-
group on measuring and understanding creative omy: Business Rationale for an Accelerated Transition,
economy. UNCTAD’s intergovernmental pillar could 2015 https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/
be instrumental in this regard. assets/downloads/TCE_Ellen-MacArthur-Founda-
The process of digitalizing the economy opens the tion_9-Dec-2015.pdf
possibility of integrating MSMEs into developing 4
ICC/BASCAP (2015), “Promoting and protecting intel-
economies to global value chains in the creative lectual property in Nigeria”, The International Chamber
economy. For example, when Pixar comes up with of Commerce/Business Action to Stop Counterfeit-
leading creative ideas, it incorporates enterprises ing and Piracy, https://iccwbo.org/content/uploads/
in other countries (e.g., Costa Rica) for creative sites/3/2017/01/Promoting‑and‑Protecting‑Intellectu-
production process elements. This in turn has given al‑Property‑in‑Nigeria.pdf.
rise to a business model of digital animation where 5
De Groot et al. (2021), Economía Creativa en la Revolu-
enterprises in tertiary countries use the income from ción Digital: La acción para fortalecer la cadena regional
international business as base cashflow while, at the de animación digital en países mesoamericanos. San-
same time, developing their own IP as well8. tiago de Chile: https://repositorio.cepal.org/bitstream/
handle/11362/45529/1/S2000218_es.pdf.
New technologies open access to digital content,
reducing production costs, increasing exposure and
6
UNCTAD (2022), Creative Economy Outlook 2022. Avail-
fostering innovative forms of financing, allowing for able at: https://unctad.org/webflyer/creative-econo-
my-outlook-2022.
an explosion of creativity. Streaming makes up to 59
per cent of digital revenues, and digital revenues make
7
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development,
up at least 50 per cent of the share of total recorded Creative Economy Report 2010, UN, Geneva and New
music industry At the same time, creativity becomes York, 2010.
a new territory of exploitation for media corporations 8
https://www.cepal.org/es/publicaciones/45529-econo-
with revenues returned to creators of online content mia-creativa-la-revolucion-digital-la-accion-for-
representing only 7.2 per cent of global royalties talecer-la-cadena-regional
6 CREATIVE ECONOMY
Authors:
Prepared by: Marisa Henderson, Chantal Line Carpentier,
Raymond Landveld, Raidan Al- Saqqaf, Olaf Jan de Groot,
Michal Podolski, Andrea Antonelli, Nurjemal Jalilova, and
Diandra Pratami.
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this policy brief
are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the
opinions and policies of the United Nations.
The designations and terminology employed may not
conform to United Nations practice and do not imply the
expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of
the Organization.
All queries should be addressed to DESA-UNEN@un.org.
CREATIVE ECONOMY 7
