The concept of creative and cultural economy (ECC) emerged in the late 1990s. It encompasses a range of economic activities based on artistic and intellectual creation. These activities include sectors such as visual arts, music, cinema, publishing, advertising, and design, among others.
This relatively new field is beginning to be studied systematically. Thus, UNESCO published in 2013 a manual detailing methods for measuring the economic contribution of cultural industries. In Switzerland, the "Zurich Centre for Creative Economies" at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZhDK) has launched a dedicated portal for research and teaching on the subject of ECC. It publishes, among other things, visualizations of data from the Federal Statistical Office on employment, enterprises, activity sectors, regions, and more.
The course objectives are as follows: • to present the basic concepts of ECC; • to analyze the impacts of ECC; • to study practical cases and concrete examples.
The course is based on theoretical concept presentations by the instructor, illustrated as much as possible through case studies or examples, and on workshops aimed at producing a learning portfolio centered on a chosen theme and enabling concrete engagement with the presented concepts.