Creative Class and Regional Growth − Empirical Evidence from Eight European Countries

Boschma, Ron A.; Fritsch, Michael

doi:10.2139/ssrn.1023869

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Creative Class and Regional Growth − Empirical Evidence from Eight European Countries

Jena Economic Research Paper No. 2007-066

35 Pages Posted: 23 Oct 2007 Last revised: 5 Nov 2007

See all articles by Ron A. Boschma

Ron A. Boschma

Utrecht University - Faculty of Geographical Sciences

Michael Fritsch

Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena - School of Economics and Business Administration

Date Written: September 17, 2007

Abstract

We analyze the regional distribution and the effect of people in creative occupations based on data for more than 450 regions in eight European countries. The geographic distribution of the creative class is highly uneven. The creative class is not attracted to highly urbanized regions per se, but rather a climate of tolerance and openness seem to be rather important factors. We find that the creative class has a positive and significant effect on employment growth and new business formation at the regional level. Human capital as measured by creative occupation outperforms indicators that are based on formal education.

Keywords: Creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship, regional development

JEL Classification: O31, O18, R12

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Boschma, Ron A. and Fritsch, Michael, Creative Class and Regional Growth − Empirical Evidence from Eight European Countries (September 17, 2007). Jena Economic Research Paper No. 2007-066, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1023869 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1023869