Policy Creativity

This book examines the gaps in creativity education across the education lifespan and the resulting implications for creative education and economic policy. Building on cutting-edge international research, the editors and contributors explore innovations in interdisciplinary creativities, including STEM agendas and definitions, science and creativity and organisational creativity amongst other subjects. Central to the volume is the idea that good creative educational practice and policy advancement needs to reimagine individual contribution and possibilities, whilst resisting standardization: it is inherently risky, not risk-averse. Prioritising creative partnerships, zones of contact, practice encounters and creative ecologies signal new modes of participatory engagement. Unfortunately, while primary schools continue to construct environments conducive to this kind of ‘slow education’, secondary schools and education policy persistently do not. This book argues, from diverse viewpoints and methodological perspectives, that 21st-century creativity education must find a way to advance in a more integrated and less siloed manner in order to respond to pedagogical innovation, economic imperatives and creative possibilities, and adequately prepare students for creative practice, workplaces and publics. This innovative volume will appeal to students and scholars of creative practice as well as policy makers and practitioners.

Main section headings: Creativity: Capacity for Adaptive and Innovative Behaviour; Teachers' Beliefs About Creativity; Constraints and Creativity: Experiments in Art and Psychology; Creative Thoughts: 32 Traits of Creative People; Creativity, Conflict and Courage; The Social Construction of Creative Children; Process, Personality and Persistence; Crawford Slip Method to Ideas Unlimited: Years of Creativity and Problem Solving; Neuropsychological Bases of Creativity; Teaching Creativity; Index.

Whenever a question of public policy is addressed, heated arguments ensue. Liberals tout one solution, conservatives another, and still others appear who are neither liberal nor conservative but have their own desired solution. In such a heated political atmosphere, legislators and policy makers need to creatively balance competing factions and wants. This book looks at the practical application of creativity in a broad set of policy areas. The chapters take note of diverse topics like merit treatment, technology, vouchers, and budgeting, while also offering theoretical studies of the concept of creativity and its potential in the coming years. Concluding the book is a bibliography of books about creativity.

Handbook of Policy Creativity, Volume 1 - Creativity at the Cutting Edge

"Moving from age-old warnings about the influence of the cultural industry to a tentative embrace of a global creative society, Terry Flew′s new book provides an excellent overview of this exciting field. Warmly recommended for students and policymakers alike." - Mark Deuze, Indiana University "A comprehensive text on the state of the art of the creative industries... a running commentary on the ebb and flow of both the academic debates (from cultural studies, cultural economics, organisational studies, economic geography and urban sociology) and the policy initiatives that seek to frame the field for outsiders. An ideal primer." - Andy C Pratt, King′s College London The rise of creative industries requires new thinking in communication, media and cultural studies, media and cultural policy, and the arts and information sectors. The Creative Industries sets the agenda for these debates, providing a richer understanding of the dynamics of cultural markets, creative labour, finance and risk, and how culture is distributed, marketed and creatively re-used through new media technologies. This book: Develops a global perspective on the creative industries and creative economy Draws insights from media and cultural studies, innovation economics, cultural policy studies, and economic and cultural geography Explores what it means for policy-makers when culture and creativity move from the margins to the centre of economic dynamics Makes extensive use of case studies in ways that are relevant not only to researchers and policy-makers, but also to the generation of students who will increasingly be establishing a ′portfolio career′ in the creative industries. International in coverage, The Creative Industries traces the historical and contemporary ideas that make the cultural economy more relevant that it has ever been. It is essential reading for students and academics in media, communication and cultural studies.

This book critically analyses how cultural and educational policies construct creativity through a range of concepts and compares this against the open and expansive idea of creativity as experienced by individuals in society more broadly. The book draws on empirical data, case-study examples, and ethnographic motifs to identify the discursive construction of creativity and the way in which discourses of creativity are enfolded into narratives of progress in cultural policy. Along with auto-ethnographical perspectives, chapters apply a rich conceptualisation of Foucault and Agamben’s work to contemporary questions and issues in education alongside recent policies and lived experiences from teachers. Exploring ideas of both fixed and expansive creativity, the volume argues that education policy and cultural policy are neoliberalised and that creativity is shaped in schools by regulative schooling systems, but ultimately identifies how individuals enact creative practices that subvert and disrupt neoliberal narratives and limited appropriations. This book will be of great interest to researchers, academics, and postgraduate students in the fields of education policy, creativity studies, and education politics. Those interested in arts education or in intersections between education and the writings of Foucault and Agamben more broadly will also find the book of value.

Creativity has become a popular buzzword in contemporary cultural policy, yet the term remains poorly understood. In this collection, cultural policy specialists together with experts on psychology, creative enterprise and arts education, consider how ‘creativity’ is defined in a variety of settings, from ‘creative management’ to ‘creative labour’. The starting point of the book is to move beyond the notion that creativity is simply a product of extraordinary individuals and extraordinary thinking. In reality creativity draws together apparently contradictory thinking styles, processes and purposes which extend well beyond the mythical figure of the solitary genius. This broad definition of creativity encompasses the contributions of managers, entrepreneurs and intermediaries to the creative process as well as the creativity of consumers and schoolchildren. In turn this implies a broad definition of cultural policy, taking in intellectual property law, education policy and corporate governance as well as policies towards the arts and creative industries. This collection of articles offers new ways of thinking about creativity and about cultural policy. It will be of interest not only to students and practitioners of cultural policy but to anyone who is curious about the value and purpose of ‘creativity’ in contemporary culture. This book was originally published as a special issue of International Journal of Cultural Policy.

Through this assessment of creative (climate) communications, readers will understand what works where, when, why and under what conditions.

Ageing populations are a major consideration for socio-economic development in the early twenty-first century. This demographic change is mainly seen as a threat rather than as an opportunity to improve the quality of human life, especially in Europe, where ageing has resulted in a reduction in economic competitiveness. Economic Foundations for Creative Ageing Policy mixes the silver economy, the creative economy, and the social economy to construct positive solutions for an ageing population. Klimczuk covers theoretical analyses and case study descriptions of good practices to suggest strategies that could be internationally popularized.

In recent years, there has been high level of interest amongst policy-makers in the ‘creative city’ concept, due to the anticipation of economic and social benefits from a growing cultural and creative economy. However, a lack of understanding of local social and economic contexts, as well as the complexities and challenges of cultural production, has resulted in formulaic, ineffective misguided policies. This book is concerned, in various ways, with developing an understanding of the complex dimensions of cultural production, and with tackling the often weak and implied links between research, policy and urban planning. In particular, contributors are concerned with agents, protagonists and practices that appear to be somehow invisible to, hidden from, or indeed ignored in much contemporary creative cities policy. Drawing on case studies from the UK and the Netherlands, chapters consider creative industries and policy across a range of scales, from provincial cities and regional economies, to the global cities of London and Amsterdam. This book was originally published as a special issue of European Planning Studies.