Measuring success of cultural investments

Philippe Kern

Culture and creative industries also help to acknowledge about the importance of diversity in Europe in order to create and to develop the European projects. One of the main problems Europe is confronted today independently on the financial and economic crisis is a lack of solidarity between Europeans and lack of understanding of each others culture. Unless Europe solves this cultural fragmentation, we will not be able to build a strong European project. The examination of culture and creative industries is a new development. It is maybe 10-15 years old, it started in Britain and it’s now expanding with a aim to consider culture in a wider context and move away from traditional concept of culture only supporting cultural institutions. Culture can also support entrepreneurship, economic development, education, knowledge, objective of sustainability – it is progressing in development. We can use different experiences that have taken place in different countries and we can pick out what has been working and what can other countries or regions can learn from the others. But Europe is not very conscious of its cultural advantages and now there is an increased demand from China, Brazil and India to engage with Europe, because they envy Europe its cultural resources. For example its diversity, its ability to nurture creativity, ability to manage culture and cultural institutions, ability to preserve the heritage or ability to make culture and creative people to work with the ICT industry or with tourism. Very often Europe is incapable of responding to this demand from China, India and Brazil because it is not even aware of these resources. We have probably the best musicians, the best cinematographers, the best designers, the best architects in the world and we have to give them opportunity to present to the rest of the world the excellence that exists in Europe. And this is something Europe needs to understand. 

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Philippe Kern

Philippe Kern

Founder and managing director of KEA European Affairs in Brussels, Belgium

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