The Creative Economy in Maine: A Research Proposal
Maine Arts Commission
New England Foundation for the Arts
The purpose of this research will be to extend work previously done for the New England Council and by the New England Foundation for the Arts to develop detailed information for the forthcoming Blaine House Conference on the Creative Economy and to examine the role of the creative economy in a rural state. This collaboration will produce a set of research protocols for determining the scope and significance of cultural economic activity that can be applied elsewhere in New England and the U.S. Through a set of case studies, it will provide concrete information on the role of the creative economy in community development.
The study will be a cooperative venture among the Center for Business and Economic Research, University of Southern Maine (Dr. Charles Colgan and Dr. Richard Barringer), the Northeastern University Department of Economics (Dr. Gregory Wassall) and the New England Foundation for the Arts (Dr. Douglas DeNatale).
For purposes of this proposal, the creative economy will be defined in industrial terms as those industries selected for analysis by Wassall and DeNatale (May 2003) and based on the Mt. Auburn Associates study for the New England Economy. It will be defined in occupation terms as set forth in Wassall (March 2003). The principal tasks under this proposal will be:
- Analysis of Creative Economy Occupations. The release of the Public Use Micro-Data (PUMS) samples will permit analysis of creative occupations at a greater level of detail than has been done to date with Current Population Survey. Dr. Wassall and Dr. DeNatale will analyze the PUMS data for Maine when it becomes available later in 2003 to extend their occupational analysis.
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Analysis of ES-202 Data. Using Maine Department of Labor establishment level employment data, information on employment and wages for the appropriate industries will be undertaken by Dr. Colgan. This will extend the work of Drs. Wassall and DeNatale using the IRS 990 data by examining the for-profit creative sectors, developing estimates of seasonal changes in employment, and providing more geographic detail within Maine. The analysis will include assessment of seasonality and urban/rural differences in the creative economy. It will also include cross-validating the IRS 990 data with information from the ES-202 data.
The research team may make modifications to these definitions because of data availability or data confidentiality reasons or to better define and describe the "creative economy" sectors and industries. The research team will work with the New England Creative Economy Council and the Maine Arts Commission to consider these modifications.
- Analysis of economic impacts. Dr. Colgan will estimate the total employment, wages, and output in the Maine and county economies using the IMPLAN model.
- Preparation of case studies. Three to four case studies depicting the various roles of the creative economy will be prepared for presentation at the Blaine House Conference. The case studies may of locations in Maine or elsewhere, but will designed to illustrate the various ways in which the creative economy affects overall economic activity. These ways could include economic impact, the development of "clusters" of economic relationships, and the creation of amenity values increasing the attractiveness of regions. Where appropriate, examples drawn from the 2002 NEFA conference, "Re-New England" will be utilized.
- Development of a Model Inventory of Rural Cultural Activity. A key issue in determining the scope and role of cultural economic activity in rural areas is the degree to which non-incorporated activity is a factor. Maine provides a unique opportunity to investigate this issue because of the recent series of Maine Arts Commission funded Discovery Research projects, which have supported a series of community wide cultural inventories throughout the state. Dr. DeNatale will work with the Maine Arts Commission staff to further incorporate this information into the Maine component of the New England Cultural Database, along with currently unexploited secondary sources. As part of this work, MAC staff will work with Dr. DeNatale to further develop a census approach to data collection for use in future studies. This process will yield important information on how a sustainable model of coordinated data collection relevant to the Creative Economy can be transplanted elsewhere in the region and the U.S.
Products from this project will include materials for the Blaine Conference on the Creative Economy in Maine in 2004 and materials that will further understanding of the creative economy in New England. For the Blaine House Conference, the following products are expected:
- A characterization of the size and dimensions of the creative economy in Maine, taking into account both differences in regional and seasonal variation. The data used would cover sectors, industries, and occupations.
- Three or more case studies illustrating the role of the creative economy in Maine or similar locations that will show both the importance of this sector and strategies to enhance its economic role.
Products to improve understanding of the creative economy in New England, will include:
- A characterization of the creative economy in a rural state, which has seasonal variations and differences between urban and rural areas. This characterization would include the analysis of nonprofit organizations and individual artists, but would also include the for-profit sector and use additional detailed data sources not previously available.
- An enhanced Maine component of the New England Cultural Database to be used as a basis for future Creative Economy work, and the development of a collaborative and coordinated system for updating this data going forward.
Timeline
(rev. 8.19.03)
The tasks outlined above will be accomplished according to the following schedule:
Cluster Definition Work
Develop Revised Cluster Definition |
9/1/03 — 10/1/03 |
Review Definition with NEFA/MAC/CEC |
10/1/03 — 10/15/03 |
Task 1. Analysis of Creative Economy Occupations.
Analysis of 1 percent sample |
9/1/03 — 12/1/03 |
Analysis of 5 percent sample |
10/1/03 — 12/1/03 |
Prepare Draft Report |
12/1/03 — 1/31/04 |
Revise and Submit Final Report |
2/1/04 — 3/1/04 |
|
Present findings at Blaine Conference
|
5/04 |
Task 2. Analysis of ES-202 Data.
Data review/analysis |
9/1/03 — 12/31/03 |
Prepare Report |
1/1/04 — 2/1/04 |
|
Present findings at Blaine Conference
|
5/04 |
Task 3. Analysis of Economic Impacts
Prepare data for IMPLAN analysis |
9/1/03 — 10/15/03 |
3Data analysis |
10/15/03 — 12/31/03 |
Prepare report |
1/1/04 — 3/1/04 |
|
Present findings at Blaine Conference
|
5/04 |
Task 4. Preparation of Case Studies.
Review potential case study examples |
9/1/03 — 10/15/03 |
Data Collection/Review |
10/1/03 — 12/31/03 |
Prepare report |
1/1/04 — 2/1/04 |
|
Present findings at Blaine Conference
|
5/04 |
Task 5. Development of a Model Inventory of Rural Cultural Activity.
|
Collect/match MAC Discovery Research Data
|
9/15/03 — 10/15/03 |
|
Collect/match secondary data (libraries, etc.)
|
10/15/03 — 12/31/03 |
|
Develop ongoing census data collection protocols with MAC staff
|
9/1/03 — 12/31/03 |
|
Pilot initial census process
|
1/1/04 — 3/31/04 |
|
Review and analysis data collection process
|
3/31/04 — 4/30/04 |
|
Present findings at Blaine Conference
|
5/04 |
