The economics and politics of 'creativity' in Singapore

Lee, T.ORCID: 0000-0003-3333-0076 and Lim, D. (2004) The economics and politics of 'creativity' in Singapore. Australian Journal of Communication, 31 (2). pp. 149-165.

Abstract

On 26 September, as Singapore faced up to its worst economic year since attaining full political independence in 1965, the Creative Industries Working Group (CIWG) of the Economic Review Committee (ERC), a government-appointed high-level body tasked with identifying future economic growth sectors and opportunities for Singapore, unveiled its report entitled Creative Industries Development Strategy: Propelling Singapore's Creative Economy (CIWG, 2002). Among other envisaged outcomes, this policy aims to encourage risk-taking and entrepreneurship, and attract creative 'talents' to set up shop in Singapore. While the notion of the 'creative industries' has been modelled after global trends, its application in a society notorious for its censorious political climate, as well as its overt emphases on commercial outcomes, is fraught with problems. This paper offers a critical examination of this new creative industries policy direction spearheaded by the Singapore government, and considers how, if at all, Singapore may achieve its prescribed goal of becoming a 'New Asia Creative Hub' of the 21st Century (CIWG, 2002, p.v).

Item Type:	Journal Article
Murdoch Affiliation:	School of Media, Communication and Culture
Publisher:	Queensland Institute of Technology. Communication Institute
Copyright:	2004 The Author
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/10046

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