Significance of culture in a creative economy

I am both amazed and overwhelmed by numerous and seemingly interminable discussions in the circles about borderless global economy. These include, in the academe, concepts such as academic rationalization, harmonization, and internationalization. Preparations have been laid for the ASEAN Integration 2015 which would allow barrier-free flow of manpower and activities in the Asian region. The University of the Philippines campuses, for instance, has geared up for the August opening of classes starting school year 2014-2015. All of these gearing toward international partnership and for strengthening diplomatic and economic ties between Asian countries.

But very much affected by this regional dynamics is the very culture of any participating country and its contribution to the local economy. The interplay of culture and economy brings about the birth of the term "creative economy." The term was popularized in 2001 by the British writer and media manager John Howkins, who  applied  it  to  15  industries  extending from  the  arts  to  science  and  technology.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in their 2013 Special Edition of Creative Economy Report highlighted that the  creative  economy  "has  become  a  powerful  transformative  force  in  the  world  today. Its potential for development is vast and waiting to be unlocked. It is one  of  the  most  rapidly  growing  sectors  of  the  world economy,  not  just  in  terms  of  income  generation  but also  for  job  creation  and  export  earnings. But this is not all there is to it. A much greater  proportion  of  the world's  intellectual  and  creative  resources  is  now  being invested  in  the  culture-based  industries,  whose  largely intangible outputs  are  as  "real"  and  considerable  as those  of  other  industries."

"Human creativity  and  innovation,  at  both  the  individual  and  group  level,  are  the  key drivers  of  these  industries,  and  have  become  the  true wealth  of  nations  in  the  21st  century.  Indirectly, culture increasingly  underpins  the  ways  in  which  people  everywhere  understand  the  world,  see  their  place  in  it,  affirm their  human  rights,  and  forge  productive  relationships with  others."

Culture is a driver of development. Led  by  the  growth  of the  creative  economy  in  general  and  the  cultural  and creative  industries  in  particular,  culture is recognized  not  only  for its  economic  value  but  also  increasingly  for  its role in  producing  new  creative  ideas  or  technologies,  and their  non-monetized  social  benefits. Cross-cultural interactions bring about social and economic benefits as both parties exchange ideas and products.

Culture also enables development.  It empowers people with capacities to take ownership of their own development processes.  When a people-centered and place-based approach is integrated into development programs and peace building initiatives, transformative change takes place. When interventions  in  fields  ranging  from  health  to  education, gender  empowerment  to  youth  engagement,  take  the cultural  context  into  account,  including  diverse  local values,  conditions,  resources,  skills  and  limitations, sustainable  change  can  occur.   

The  United  Nations  Secretary-General  Ban  Ki-moon recognized,  in  his  opening  remarks  at  the  General Assembly  thematic  debate  on  culture  and  development held  in  New  York  in  June  2013,  that  "too  many well-intended  development  programs  have  failed because  they  did  not  take  cultural  settings  into account... development  has  not  always  focused  enough on  people.  To mobilize people, we need to understand and embrace their culture.  This means encouraging dialogue,  listening  to  individual  voices,  and  ensuring that  culture  and  human  rights  inform  the  new  course for  sustainable development."

Truly it is therefore imperative that all economic discussions must be anchored on cultural underpinnings. As every human undertaking for economic development, the cultural origins and values must be respected as this would mean giving worth of the very essence of the well-established communal origins.

A country cannot truly claim that it has achieved economic success if its culture has been devalued and regarded inconsequential. As a country moves forward to economic recovery and prosperity, culture's wide-ranging role in a creative economy cannot be underemphasized. It is a driver and enabler.