Desperately Seeking Creatives

New empirical study looks for Europe's "creative class"

The JENA Economic Research Papers group released a paper that tries to identify where Europe's creatives reside, and what impact they have on the economy. The study seeks to put numbers to Richard Florida's book, The Rise of the Creative Class, which argues that the so-called creative class is important to urban and economic development. Lures for such creatives include cultural and social institutions, and a diverse environment open to potentially hedonistic ideas. Florida argues strongly against social capital thinkers like Robert Putnam in Bowling Alone. His hypotheses are not without critics, which includes Joel Kotkin, author of The City. GEO