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Policy

Creative PEC’s policy team works across all our research areas, producing policy briefings, analysis, and recommendations, as part of Creative PEC’s mission to provide a step-change for policy makers in the quality of evidence for the creative industries.

The policy team is core to our work bringing together policy makers in government, both national and local, with the research community and creative industry representatives.

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Policy Publications

Policy Briefs

Policy Briefs

We aim to help policymakers identify the policy implications of academic research and industry insight on the creative industries.

National Theatre London -courtesy of Samuel Regan Asante
Policy Brief: Transitioning to Sustainable Production across the UK Theatre Sector

This policy brief outlines recommendations for transitioning to more sustainable theatre production …

interior of library
Authors’ Earnings in the UK

This policy briefing sets out areas for possible policy action, proposed by the researchers at CREAT…

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Television production, international trade and pressures to consolidate

The UK television production sector is one of Britain’s leading creative export sectors. This briefi…

person sewing a leather belt on sewing machine
Three ways to support growth in the creative industries

Three ways to support growth in the creative industries The Creative Industries are an economic powe…

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Policy briefing: Creative industries innovation in seaside resorts and country towns

This policy brief is based on a PEC Discussion Paper: Creative Industries Innovation in Seaside Reso…

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Policy Briefing: R&D in the Creative Industries

The creative industries are one of the fastest growing sectors of the UK economy. One in eight UK bu…

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A global agenda from the PEC’s International Council

You can now read the report in A Global Agenda for the Cultural and Creative Industries is the …

neon light of speech bubble with heart shape inside
The birth of neo-regulation. Where next for the UK’s approach to platform regulation?

A new era of tech regulation is about to begin. However, planned legislation is leading to a tension…

view across Albert Docks Liverpool
Placemaking, Culture and Covid

In September 2021, we consulted a Panel of our Industry Champions on their experiences of …

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The Creative Industries in the UK’s Export Strategy

This brief is based upon the findings of our latest research into the features and barriers facing t…

How to design a creative higher education system that supports economic needs

As the UK emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government is faced with important policy decision…

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Creative places: Growing the creative industries across the UK

This is in part because of the economic importance of the sector: one in eight UK businesses are par…

illustration of city of Preston
Driving local growth: Lessons from the Preston Model

The ‘Preston Model’ of Community Wealth Building (CWB) is an innovative policy intervention that ens…

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Mapping the R&D landscape for creative technologies

Creative technologies (“CreaTech”) will play an increasingly big role driving innovation and g…

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The Regulation of Online Platforms: Mapping an emergent regulatory field

This policy brief is designed to accompany the Discussion Paper,The Emergence of Platform Regul…

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Freelancers in the Creative Industries

One of the defining features of the creative industries is a high reliance on freelancers wheth…

Asian person fitting designer outfit with straps to model
Recovery and growth for creative freelancers: during and post-pandemic

Insights from our Industry Champions: in partnership with the Centre for Cultural Value At the end o…

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Business R&D in the arts, humanities and social sciences

What R&D in the arts, humanities & social sciences looks like in a business setting, and why…

mother and child using laptop
On-Demand Culture: How the lockdown is changing games and streaming services

Covid-19 regulations and restrictions have meant conventional forms of leisure and culture have eith…

older person taking off VR Headset
Beyond the early adopter: widening the appeal for virtual reality

How the cultural industries can increase the adoption of immersive technologies for mainstream audie…

person in art studio
The impact of COVID-19 on diversity in the creative industries

As part of our research agenda on the industry’s response to COVID-19, we partnered with the Al…

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Understanding how our habits of cultural consumption changed during lockdown – wave 9 data

Insights from the nine-week study into consumers cultural consumption habits – data from wave …

youngperson with wearing VR Headset
Beyond bailouts: three ways the upcoming Spending Review should support the creative industries

The creative industries – from film, to fashion, to creative digital – are now widely re…

O2 Ritz Manchester
Business model disruption and innovation during COVID-19 in the creative content industries

To understand how COVID-19 continues to affect the creative industries, we have consulted our Indust…

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As lockdown eased: How our habits of cultural consumption at home are changing

The outbreak of COVID-19 and the halt on many cultural and creative activities, from live music, to …

young person drawing on white paper
Graduate motivations and the economic returns of creative higher education inside and outside the creative industries

Insights for policymakers The creative industries have experienced a glorious decade punctuated by a…

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The importance of a UK-wide recovery plan for the creative industries

New research shows that following the global financial crisis in 2008 we saw an accelerated tre…

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How policymakers can support local growth in the creative industries

As part of our research agenda around local growth, we consulted our Industry Champions on…

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How evidence should guide manifesto promises on the Creative Industries

The creative industries – from film, to fashion, to creative technology – are rightly la…

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The value of creative higher and further education

Insights from our Industry Champions As part of the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (…

Government Submissions

Government Submissions

All of our responses to government, including our formal submissions to departmental or committee inquiries, calls for evidence, and consultations, as well as our responses to policy announcements and fiscal statements.

Westminster Bridge - London - with Houses of Parliament - courtesy of David Dibert
Autumn Statement 2023 – Creative PEC’s representation

The Autumn Statement presents an opportunity for the government to supercharge its plans laid out in…

artist studio shelves with paint pots
Work Advance & PEC oral evidence to House of Lords: Creative Futures 2022

The House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee is undertaking an inquiry into the future of…

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PEC Response to the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee inquiry “A creative future”

This submission from the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre responds to the questions po…

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PEC Submission to the DCMS consultation on ‘A change of ownership of Channel 4 Television Corporation’

This submission of written evidence was prepared in response to the ‘Consultation on a change of own…

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Response to the DCMS Committee ‘Cultural Placemaking and the Levelling Up Agenda’

This submission from the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre aims to answer the questions…

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PEC Response to the Competition and Markets Authority’s proposed study ‘Music and streaming market’

This submission responds to the consultation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) as part …

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PEC’s Submission to the DCMS Committee inquiry Promoting Britain Abroad

This submission – made from the PEC to the DCMS Committee in January 2022 – addresses th…

TV studio
PEC’s Submission to the House of Lords Communications and Digital Select Committee inquiry into the future of Channel 4

This submission is co-authored by Dr Tom Chivers and Professor Stuart Allan on behalf of the ‘Arts, …

Houses of Parliament
PEC’s Representation to the Autumn Spending Review

The UK’s creative industries – from film to fashion, and from video games to the performing ar…

image from space of earth
Response to the Integrated Review: A new era of soft power?

Yesterday, the Government published the Integrated Review, a survey of the UK’s foreign policy …

Blogs

Policy Blogs

Insights and analysis from Creative PEC’s policy team and guest bloggers.

Creative PEC’s response to the Spring Budget 2024

Creative Industries in the 2024 Spring Budget The creative industries are a significant part of the …

Discussion Papers

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metal wire art installation - courtesy of Alina Grubnyak
International Trade Challenges and the Effectiveness of Support Measures for the UK’s Creative Industries

The formidable challenges confronting the UK’s creative industries in the realm of exports, st…

High Street
Northern England’s Creative Industries

The Creative Industries are already a driver of growth across the UK economy. Export-intensive and m…

Side of building with artwork of man and a robin
Creative Destruction? Creative firms, workers and residential gentrification

A new study by Tasos Kitsos, Max Nathan, and Diana Gutierrez-Posada finds only a minor influence of …

Family watching a tablet
Speaking with One Voice

A fundamental remit of the BBC, and other public service broadcasters (PSBs) like ITV and Channel 4,…

Dance performance
Transitioning to Sustainable Production across the UK Theatre Sector

This discussion paper examines transitional pathways to sustainable theatre production in the UK. By…

clothes hanging on rail
Identifying and analysing UK fashion micro-clusters

The UK’s Fashion and Textiles industry contributed almost £20 billion to the UK economy in 202…

Tree close up in a forest
Net Zero as a catalyst in fashion micro and small enterprises

This report identifies examples of work taking place across three levels of change – social, e…

Union Jacks over Portobello Road, London
The Motives of Inbound Foreign Direct Investors in the UK Creative Industries

The UK’s creative industries have a global reach. British arts, technology, and design are internati…

EU Flags on flag poles
Brexit uncertainty and international trade in services: Evidence from the UK creative industries 2014-2019

This discussion paper is based on one of the first studies to look at the impact of Brexit on the Cr…

Arts centre
Working Together – Cooperatives as a creative industry business model

This authors looks at how creative workers and students typically understand cooperatives, explore t…

Music Concert
Building sustainable regional music industry clusters

This report looks at the role the creative industries can play for the Levelling Up agenda, as well …

Monkey sign on lamp post
Crypto art and questions of value

Crypto Art is a novel, emerging creative form that is entirely digital, and native to the internet. …

Music concert
Live music ecologies in the UK: A local perspective in the context of the pandemic

In 2019, the UK’s live music sector was valued at over £1.3 billion. After almost a decade of strong…

Buidling
The role of the university in enhancing creative clusters

Universities are important for driving growth in their local creative industries. At the same time, …

Millennium Bridge
Creative clusters and sparse spaces: Manchester’s creative industries and the geographies of deprivation and prosperity

The aim of this paper is to ‘take stock’ of the creative industries in Manchester and to explore the…

Coastal village arial image
Creative industries innovation in seaside resorts and country towns

Read our four page policy brief for key recommendations based on this research: Insights for Policym…

Person throwing paper areoplane
What distinguishes creative industry exporters? And does engaging in innovation, R&D and design matter?

Post-Brexit, the UK government is keen to accelerate UK exporting, including in creative goods and s…

TV Studio
The nature of foreign direct investment in the creative industries

For the host country receiving the investment, there is a wealth of evidence that FDI can increase p…

Stack of news papers
Assessing the impact of COVID-19 on the arts and cultural sector: British newspaper reporting of the Culture Recovery Fund

Newspapers covered many of the impacts of COVID-19, from the psychological strain of lockdown isolat…

Woman relaxing watching her laptop. With a cat
Culture in quarantine? Cultural institutions’ uses of Twitter during lockdown

Cultural institutions, such as museums and galleries, are important for local communities. They are …

Wall art
The relationships between cultural organisations and local creative industries in the context of a cultural district

This Discussion Paper was commissioned by the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) a…

Circuit board close up
Starving the golden goose? Access to finance for innovators in the creative industries

Please note: this paper has been accepted in Journal of Cultural Economics, DOI: 10.1007/s10824…

People writing notes
What is the public value of public service broadcasting?

This question has long been a subject of lively debate, bringing together the competing priorities o…

Pink interior with blue plant
Pivot to digital: How museums and galleries responded to COVID-19

As the UK went into full lockdown in March 2020, museums and galleries were faced with the prospect …

Plane wing
Creative firms and trade

The implications for policymakers emerging from this work are explored in our Policy Briefing: …

image of person sifting through box of vinyl records
A review of creative trade in the economics literature

This paper summarises the key research and models for creative trade. Starting with a general overvi…

abstract artwork
The UK’s international creative trade: A review of the official data sources

There is a growing recognition among policy makers and governments around the world of the importanc…

Adventure Island
Growth through skills: Lessons from the Thames Estuary Production Corridor

This discussion paper is a case study for how to drive growth within creative clusters through inves…

Front of a shop
Do creative industries generate multiplier effects? Evidence from UK cities 1997-2018

A paper examing the long-term impacts of the creative industries on surrounding urban economies

image of Liverpool street during European capital of culture event
The European Capital of Culture: A review of the academic evidence

A literature review & policy implications of the impact of the Capital of Culture on local economies

image of interior of library - courtesy of Luke Tanis
R&D, design and innovation: Examining the links in the creative industries

This paper provides policymakers, academics, and creative industry organisations with one of the fir…

Neon sign
The emergence of platform regulation in the UK

A discussion paper examining the emerging field of platform regulation in the UK

Image of country house - courtesy of Kenny Orr
Creating value in place

The role, contribution and challenges of creative freelance work The creative industries are incredi…

picture of old portable TV sat in gap in stone wall - courtesy of Shubham Verma
The challenges facing freelancers in Scottish Film and TV

An analysis of 45 years of data from the Film Bang directory COVID-19’s effect on the creative indus…

image of theatre sign - advertising Micheal Jacksons Thriller
Comparative analysis of pay and conditions: London’s West End and New York’s Broadway

This discussion paper feeds into our wider research on freelancers, considering the employment condi…

aerial shot of open pages of books - courtesy of Patrick Tomasso
Evolution and trends of creative cluster research

A systematic literature review and future research agenda The geographical clustering of creative an…

image of people playing saxophone - courtesy of Jens Thekkeveettil
International creative students: their significance for UK universities, regions and the creative industries

Assessing the value of higher education has become a divisive issue, in particular, the use of gradu…

image architect drawing on scroll of planning - courtesy of Daniel McCullough
A skills monitor for the Creative Industries

Workplace perspectives: skill needs, mismatches and development in the Creative Industries This Crea…

image of crucible theatre Sheffield - courtesy of Gary Butterfield
Relatedness between the Creative Industries and the wider economy: A primer

The Creative Industries are seen as an key part of the knowledge economy, and policymakers inve…

image of potter at wheel
Skills, talent and diversity in the creative industries: critical issues and evidence gaps

Following a nine-month evidence synthesis and scoping exercise undertaken by the PEC team leading on…

woman looking a artwork on wall - courtesy of Matthew Kwong
Immersive experiences in museums, galleries and heritage sites: a review of research findings and issues

Interest in immersive experiences in museums and heritage sites has increased in recent years in res…

image of Angel of the North Gateshead - courtesy of Anthony Winter
Mind the gap: regional inequalities in the UK’s creative industries

Using official Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Economic Estimates, this Disc…

Policy Briefs

We aim to help policymakers identify the policy implications of academic research and industry insight on the creative industries.

National Theatre London -courtesy of Samuel Regan Asante
Policy Brief: Transitioning to Sustainable Production across the UK Theatre Sector

This policy brief outlines recommendations for transitioning to more sustainable theatre production …

interior of library
Authors’ Earnings in the UK

This policy briefing sets out areas for possible policy action, proposed by the researchers at CREAT…

TV with streaming app logos on screen
Television production, international trade and pressures to consolidate

The UK television production sector is one of Britain’s leading creative export sectors. This briefi…

person sewing a leather belt on sewing machine
Three ways to support growth in the creative industries

Three ways to support growth in the creative industries The Creative Industries are an economic powe…

Government Submissions

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. 

Westminster Bridge - London - with Houses of Parliament - courtesy of David Dibert
Autumn Statement 2023 – Creative PEC’s representation

The Autumn Statement presents an opportunity for the government to supercharge its plans laid out in…

artist studio shelves with paint pots
Work Advance & PEC oral evidence to House of Lords: Creative Futures 2022

The House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee is undertaking an inquiry into the future of…

coloured microchips
PEC Response to the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee inquiry “A creative future”

This submission from the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre responds to the questions po…

Music studio close up
PEC Submission to the DCMS consultation on ‘A change of ownership of Channel 4 Television Corporation’

This submission of written evidence was prepared in response to the ‘Consultation on a change of own…

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