The Role of Culture in the Economy of Knowledge [2009]

In October 2009, the Ministry of Culture, Cults and National Heritage (MCCNH) was going to host the 11^th Meeting of the International Network on Cultural Policies (MINCP).

For this event, MCCNH required the Centre for Studies and Research in the Field of Culture to carry out a study on the role of culture in the economy of knowledge (a theme proposed by Romania) in the MINCP member countries, in order to obtain an overall image on the experiences of these countries in the field, as well as on the practices pertaining to their developed cultural policies.

One of the main directions of the study was defining the economy of knowledge, which, according to the answers of the participants, is the branch that gathers the economic activities based on intellectual resources, the development of which is mainly due to the creative industries. At the same time, the inter-dependence of creative industries, information and communication technologies plays a very important role in the development of the economy of knowledge, essential for the national economy. We must emphasise that the respondents considered the following elements essential for the economy of knowledge: global spreading of culture through partnerships, promoting inter-cultural cohesion, supporting the artists’ mobility and providing a higher degree of education in the field of culture.