A joint initiative of the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (Creative PEC) and British Council, the Global Creative Economy Council (GCEC) is a global forum for creative economy policy and practice. But what exactly does it do? Read on to find out more.
An evolution from the Creative PEC’s International Council, the GCEC brings together diverse expert perspectives from across the world to reflect on emerging trends and develop ideas for transnational policies. The Creative PEC and British Council are making this investment because both organisations feel that creative economies everywhere face opportunities and challenges that are global in nature, and that transnational policy formulation for the creative economy will benefit from the sharing of the on-the-ground experience of entrepreneurs, practitioners, investors, policymakers and academics.
This will take a number of forms: first, we will use our combined networks to better understand what is really going on – whether it is looking at how the creative economy can contribute to social and environmental sustainability as well as economic growth; how creative workers and businesses in informal economies survive and prosper; how networks and intermediaries act as ‘interpreters’ between government and creative entrepreneurs, and what are the policy lessons that should be learnt and acted upon through multilateral action.
Second, we will convene discussions that inspire action and bring together GCEC members, creative entrepreneurs, government officials and researchers to discuss and share experiences, that lead towards new approaches, as we have done recently at forums in Istanbul and Cairo, with encouragingly positive results.
A third way that the GCEC will share, and build upon, its collective wisdom, experience and insights will be through occasional targeted research activities that address the Creative PEC’s and the British Council’s international priorities.
And last, but not least, GCEC members will, through a dedicated blog series on the Creative PEC’s website, share their insights and policy ideas with others. Occasionally we will also publish contributions from those outside the GCEC where we think these add to and stimulate the debate.
Ultimately, through these activities, we want the GCEC to engender and help bring about a more inclusive and informed approach at the global level to policymaking in the creative economy.
Visit the blog to stay informed about the latest GCEC activities and creative economy insights, including:
- An introduction from John Newbigin, Chair of the GCEC
- Omar Nagati on the creative industries in Egypt
- Dr Martin Smith and Dr Gerald Lidstone on UK engagement in Central Asia: education and the creative economy in the territories of the ‘new Silk Roads’
- Andrea Dempster Chung on ‘Island in Transition’: The journey from reggae music mecca to creative economy hub.