Title: The geography of creative people in Germany

Authors: Michael Fritsch, Michael Stuetzer

Addresses: School of Economics and Business Administration, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Carl-Zeiss-Str. 3, 07743 Jena, Germany; German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) Mohrenstrae 58, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Max Planck Institute of Economics, 07743 Jena, Germany. ' School of Economics and Business Administration, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Carl-Zeiss-Str. 3, 07743 Jena, Germany

Abstract: It has been argued that creativity is an important source of regional growth. This article investigates the geography of people in creative occupation in Germany. The population share of the creative class as well as of bohemians and artists is relatively high in larger cities, but smaller places and rural regions may also have a considerable proportion of people with a creative job. While ethnical and cultural diversity and a high level of public supply in health care and education can explain the distribution of creative people, employment opportunities seem to play only a minor role. A high share of creative occupations seems to be conducive to regional growth; however, the exact nature of this relationship is still unclear.

Keywords: creativity; entrepreneurship; innovation; regional development; Germany; creative occupations; creative class.

DOI: 10.1504/IJFIP.2009.022096

International Journal of Foresight and Innovation Policy, 2009 Vol.5 No.1/2/3, pp.7 - 23

Published online: 18 Dec 2008 *

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