Rise Of The Creative Class Cultural Studies Essay

Rise Of The Creative Class Cultural Studies Essay According to Richard Florida, cities must make purposive efforts to establish the right people climate for the favoured class of creatives or they will wither and die (Florida, 2002; p. 13). Critically reflect upon Floridas thesis as to the role the creative classes play in stimulating economic success in places. In 2002, Richard Florida published, The Rise of the Creative Class, the book analyses the forces reshaping our economy and how companies, communities and people can survive and prosper in a post-Fordist U.S. It provides a provocative new way of thinking about why and how places economically develop but whether there is merit in his thesis is questionable. In essence, Floridas book seeks to describe a new economy, in which Creativity has become a driving force of economic growth. The ability to compete and prosper in the global economy goes beyond trade in goods and services and flows of capital and investment, instead, it increasingly turns on the ability of [cities] to attract, retain and develop creative people (Florida 2002a, p.3). These creative people are what Florida names the creative class and it is this new socioeconomic class who he claims add economic value through their creativity and are the ultimate economic resource (Florida 2002a, p.2). It is important to understand that Floridas definition of the Creative Class is extremely broad. Florida (2002a) argues that this is because all professions entail some creativity in their execution. However, it can be broken down into three main components and each component illustrates a role that the creative class plays in stimulating economic success. The first component is the super-creative core. These are people who invent, take out patents and thus are at the centre of economic and technological development. It includes a wide range of occupations, with arts, design, and media workers as a small subset. Florida considers those belonging to this group to fully engage in the creative process (2002a, p. 69). The Super-Creative Core is believed to be innovative, creating commercial products and consumer goods and the ability to come up with new ideas and better ways of doing things is ultimately what raises productivity (Florida 2002a, p.2). The second component is the creative professionals. This group do not have as clear of a connection with technological development. They educate, manage, care take as well as develop models and thoughts and thereby facilitate the economic development. The bohemians is the last component. These are the artistically creative and their role is attracting the other two groups. The presence of such human capital in turn creates a specific people climate and attracts the first two components and therefore generates innovative, technology-based industries which bring economic prosperity (Florida 2002b). However, as will be explained later, the presence of bohemians in cities attracting the rest of the creative class and therefore promoting economic growth is a contested issue. The fact that the creative class aggregate efforts have become the primary drivers of economic development is made more understandable by the new economy that has been created. In this post-Fordist society, Hartley (2005) argues that high tech creative industries are at the core to economic development and therefore the creative class, who play a key role in these creative industries and are crucial to economic development. With this new society, Florida (2002a) argues that with more creative class presence there will be more high-tech jobs, more growth in employment and firm formation, therefore greater economic success. Florida (2002) debates that this stimulation of economic success by the creative class means that there is an inevitable need for cities to attract the creative class or they will wither and die. However, do jobs follow people or people follow jobs? The old Fordism models assumed that people move to where the jobs are, suggesting a development strategy of cutting corporate taxes, developing industrial parks and clusters. On the other hand in a Post-Fordism society, Florida (2002c) argues that jobs move to, or are made, where the skilled workers are, inferring an economic development strategy concentrated on attracting people as consumers of place and suggesting that the traditional beliefs of economic development are out of date. Florida is not the only one who comes to these conclusions, Vias (1999) and Holmberg et al. (2001) argue that jobs follow people too. However, question marks must be raised over the robustness of the research findings and the range of different population an d/or employment groups; as Hoogstra et al. (2004) suggests the nature of causality differs greatly across space as well as time due to subjectivity. Florida (2002) argues that diversity is the key to this attracting of the creative class and therefore economic success. Furthermore, places need to culturally provide and encourage the 3Ts; talent, technology and tolerance. These attributes present a people climate that Florida justifies when he writes, Creative-minded people enjoy a mix of influences. They want to hear different kinds of music and try different kinds of food. A vibrant, varied nightlife was viewed by many as another signal that a city gets it' (2002a, p.67). Florida measures this diversity by using three main indices: The Bohemian index, the gay index and the coolness index. From these indices and various others Florida devised his own ranking system with an overall creativity index for each city. It is through this method that Florida links his desired people climate to the creative class and thus economic success. This idea that urban economic success comes from having an attractive people climate for high skill people is in general an accepted view (Glaeser et al. 2001) and has certainly had an effect on urban policy, as Malanga (2004, p.36) observes, The notion that cities must become trendy, happening places in order to compete in the twenty first century is sweeping urban America [and beyond]. However, is it Floridas people climate that is needed to attract the creative class and therefore economically succeed? The idea that Floridas people climate, created by the bohemians, attract the rest of the creative class to the city and therefore fuel economic growth, as mentioned earlier, is a contested issue. Glaeser (2004) argues that the creative class want big suburban lots with easy commutes by car, safe streets, good schools and low taxes. After all, he argues, there is plenty of evidence linking low taxes, sprawl and safety with growth. He gives the example of Plano in Texas, which was the most successful skilled city in the country in the 1990s and its not exactly a Bohemian hotspot. Where Florida is also vulnerable to criticism is in his methodology and manipulation of data in the correlation between his people climate and the creative class and therefore economic growth. In his first appendix to The Rise of the Creative Class, he writes, in retrospect, I probably could have written this book using no statistics at all. Moss (2009) argues that in chapters 13 and 14 and the accompanying appendices, Florida should have done just that. Part of Floridas people climate is the 3Ts concept, and he creates measurement indicators for each. Moss (2009) argues that, predominantly, both the logic and data linking these axes together are unclear. He argues that Florida relies primarily on lists of rankings of urban areas that look similar. Though Florida documents statistically significant correlations in some cases, both Clark (2004) and Glaeser (2004) find that they have less explanatory power than other combinations. Additionally Florida does not give much information about the regressions (Markusen 2006). Moss (2009) argues that this is illustrated by the fact that it is not known that Florida uses same-sex male households reporting as partners (and thus presumably gay) in the Census as a proxy for diversity. Not only does this show lack of information about the regressions and therefore less validity to Floridas thesis, but it also shows the vague nature of Floridas work. Another flaw is that the connection between the 3Ts element to Floridas people climate and actual economic growth is weak. If Florida ran a regression on each of the 3Ts and job creation or per-capita income, the results arent given. In fact, the notes to chapter 13 record a correlation between employment growth and the Creative Class concentration that, while statistically significant, was only 0.03! (Moss 2009) Steven Malanga finds more weaknesses in Floridas correlation between Floridas people climate and economic growth. Since 1993, cities that score the best on Floridas analysis have actually shown to not have grown as fast as the overall U.S. jobs economy, increasing their employment numbers by only 17 per cent (Malanga 2004). Floridas indexes, in fact, are such weak predictors of economic performance that his top ranked cities havent even outperformed his bottom ranked ones (Malanga 2004). Led by large percentage gains in Las Vegas (the fastest-growing economy in the U.S), Floridas ten least creative cities are actually huge job generators, adding more than 19 per cent to their job totals since 1993 (faster growth than the national economy) (Malanga 2004). Malangas main argument, that Florida makes no significant effort to show how the 3Ts are related to actual economic growth, is powerful. Floridas Creativity Index is also shown to have faults and therefore illegitimizing the correlation between Floridas people climate and the creative class and therefore economic growth. The Creativity Index is centred on four equally weighted factors: the concentration of Creative Class workers in the area, a High Tech index measuring a regions share of national tech industry output, the concentration of tech industries within the region, as well as the number of patents recorded per capita and the concentration of same-sex domestic partners within the region (Moss 2009). No justification or evidence is shown that supports the notion that these factors should be equally weighted (Moss 2009). Alternatively, each of 268 metropolitan areas is ranked on each of the four factors, and the Creativity Index is calculated solely by subtracting the regions rank order in each category from 1076, which, strangely, is four times 269 (Florida 2002a). Florida does not bother to look at the distribu tion of the actual values within the ranks, which is only useful if the distribution is linear, or doesnt vary between the four factors. For example, if theres a substantial band of cities in the Creative Class index that are almost equal from rank 140 to rank 157, but the city ranked 157 in the patent index is a large drop from the city ranked 156; this system wouldnt pick such common subtleties up. This highlights the lack of rigorous scientific inquiry in which Florida operates. Much of Floridas work focuses on the U.S solely and it is questionable to whether Floridas ideas are transferrable to the rest of the world. In Europe, several researchers have tried to produce similar data and have obtained spatial correlations similar to Floridas (Boschma and Fritsch 2007). This thesis is therefore not specific to North America: it can also be applied to Europe, and Florida and his colleagues have, in fact, conducted a report backing this claim (Florida and Tinagli 2004). Although Floridas work has been said to be legitimate in Europe, more concentrated in-depth studies prove that this is not the case in the UK. Nathan (2005) examines Floridas ideas, concentrating on the evidence in British cities. He finds insufficient evidence of a creative class, and little indication that creative cities do better. He argues that companies search for the required workers when making location decisions, but skilled people also move to where the jobs are. Buzz attracts young peop le to city centres for a short time, after which most move out to suburbs; this is mainly down to the hegemony of London. Nathan (2005) concludes that the creative class model is a poor judge of UK city economic performance and decision makers should focus on the basics: creativity is the icing, not the cake (Nathan 2005, p.1). Not many studies at all have been done implying Floridas thesis on other developed countries outside Europe and therefore it is hard to say whether his thesis applies to the whole of the developed world. Not many studies have been carried out on the developing world either. Purely on the basis that most non developed countries are not entirely associated with the post-Fordist economy, one assumes that the creative class is smaller and not attracted to the cities therefore not having as significant a role in economic development. Thus, it must be said that it is hard to justify Floridas thesis as having relevance to the rest of the globe. In conclusion, Floridas claim that attracting the creative class to cities in a post-Fordist society does have substance. However, his claim that jobs follow people is tarnished by the subjective nature of this concept, with a need to collect more data. In analysing Floridas link between his people climate and economic growth one begins to cast doubt over his thesis. This is down to his poor methodology and seeming manipulation of data and the fact that Floridas correlations have less explanatory power than others. Additionally, not much information is given on the regressions decreasing their validity, Floridas link between the 3Ts and economic growth is weak and the creativity index also has flaws. Floridas thesis is said to be transferrable to Europe but is not applicable to the UK. His theory has not been applied to the rest of the developed world or the developing world in depth and therefore one cannot say if his theory is valid.

Transfer Essay

When I applied to colleges as a high school student, I had little idea where I wanted to go or what I wanted to accomplish. I was living in Ethiopia, where things I take for granted now, such as internet connection, were very scarce. Therefore, as far as I was concerned, looking up and researching colleges was a luxury. My mother tried her best to help out, but since she hasn’t done this process in a very long time she could only offer me little advice. I was unsure about how to start the process and I felt very overwhelmed and hesitant. I was also afraid that I might end up in Addis Ababa University, where the standard is below par, if I failed in my college application to the US. I had to act fast because I knew that I would never forgive myself if I failed to grab the opportunity to come back to America for college. Since deadlines were approaching, I picked four schools based on superficial attributes and rushed myself into applying. I was accepted into three colleges which enabled me to relax a bit about my future. I applied for scholarships in each of the school, so when it came down to the financial aid, St. Johns University ended up giving me more so I headed there. I wish to transfer, mostly because I seek a greater challenge. Currently, I do work hard and it has paid off but in the end I wish to challenge myself more and I believe I can obtain that through a transfer. Since last year I have taken much consideration and time to choose which schools can provide greater opportunities and challenges that I want and need to obtain a successful education; the opportunity to learn through the diversity and wider selection within the psychology department, and the challenge that comes with the prestigious reputation of each school. I also sought variety when I considered schools; I wish to transfer to a school that can offer variety both academically and socially, academically with the larger psychology department and socially with the size of the school. I believe variety is important, especially in a broad major such as psychology, for it will help me narrow down a specific area that I wish to further study. Social variety can provide much opportunity to find my place in a larger school. Another factor I wish to achieve from a transfer is control. Last year I felt I had little control of where I could go. My options were limited and I was forced to choose; therefore, there options were not what were best suited for me and my major. Now with proper time and management I can give myself the choice. Finally, College was completely unknown to me a year ago but now I have a successful first semester done and ready to start the next. Unfortunately, I don't envision myself graduating from my current university because the only factor I have become a part of is my studies, I haven't found any place where I feel comfortable and included, but with the size of my university options are limited. The universities I am applying to have an enthusiasm spirit that comes with pride. Each has a community of students who have taken much pride in their work. If admitted, I know I can contribute my own enthusiastic pride for the school and my work. Although my current university wasn't my ultimate choice I have made the best of it and it has helped me to know what to expect from college and what I wish to obtain from a transfer. I am confident in my decision for each of these schools because each can offer me challenges, opportunities, variety, control, and a chance to have a more productive college experience. As my transcript shows, I have done well at Amherst and I am convinced I can meet the academic challenges of Penn. I know I would grow at Penn, and your program in anthropology perfectly matches my academic interests and professional goals.

The Foolproof Social Research Topics Strategy

The Foolproof Social Research Topics Strategy The next thing to do is to formulate that overall question into a particular question that could be answered through surveys and investigations. You should make sure you take pleasure in the topic that you need to compose your paper on so the remaining part of the procedure is easier. Students should select a topic which they are interested in since it will make the writing process simpler. Students who are not familiar with the writing process always has the choice to search for example papers. When you own a paper on the physical anthropology topics, you've got to focus on the particular keywords so you know what things to include in the response you hand into your instructor. The final step is determining that there is sufficient literature on specific topic. Once you have decided on your subject, you'll need to compose a comprehensive outline that's in complete sentences. For instance, the topic issued may be too complicated, you might not have the moment, or you should improve the overall grade of the paper you write. It's not clear which specific human culture you need to speak about. Or, you can want to research how you think their role will change later on. Making sociologists' presence invisible isn't always realistic for different factors. If you're writing about social problems, you will typically be writing about the way the topic affects larger groups of people, like how poverty affects a whole generation. Many pregnant ladies drink alcohol when pregnant and set their babies at risk, they say. For example, there is an education system which helps children learn basic concepts in school. Choosing Good Social Research Topics You have to know the town your ancestor lived in. Local political or societal movements will probably have Twitter accounts it is possible to check to find news kanawha county library live homework aid their gatherings and activities. There's no need to pick a topic that is likely to make your academic life so complicated. Your friends may also offer you important suggestions. You will understand key words for a wide range of topics that you're able to write about. After a couple of weeks of research, it seems that there isn't anything researchable left on topics. If you feel you'll barely produce fascinating ideas all on your own, you want to understand where to come across interesting suggestions. Useful strategies on topic definition can be seen in Topic selection section. Some tips are useful once you require a topic that is appropriate for you. Our sociology topic suggestions can be utilised to create unique suggestions for your own research papers. Straightforwardly discuss the methodology you're likely to apply in your research. Your selected topic should offer ample data to compose an appropriate research paper. Therefore, you've got to be cautious about how you go about the assortment of anthropology research topics. You can't comprehensively deal with an industry research topic which is too wide. Examine the Scope of the Topic You Have When you choose the anthropology paper topics to make sure they can be exhaustively handled within the reach of the paper you've got. As Ivory Research has such a wide range of writers it permits us to select you the absolute best and gives us the ability to finish a huge subject region of Social Work dissertations. In most instances, it's a consequence of constant procrastination due to lack of motivation and interests. Social psychologists have discovered that attractiveness can produce what is referred to as a halo effect. Social psychological work was applied to an excellent many real-world settings. Do not automatically think that choosing a research problem to study is going to be a quick or quick job!

Book Report (the Titans Curse by Rick Rordan) - 863 Words

Percy Jackson The Titans Curse In this Percy Jackson and the Olympians book, it starts out when Thalia daughter of Zeus, Annabeth daughter or Athena, and Percy son of Poseidon set out to help Grover who found two really power full half bloods escort them back to camp have blood. But then they run into trouble when this really power monster shows up that works for Cronus try’s to take Bianca and Nico the two really powerful other half bloods. Before there group was about to be defeated Artemis goddess of the hunt and the moon sun of Apollo shows up and rescues them with her huntresses. Also Annabeth saved them but in the process she falls off the cliff and they could not find her, little do they no that she was really just†¦show more content†¦Zoe was still really injured and on her death bed. She ends up dieing and then they find out that Atlas was Zoà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s dad so she perished by a parents hand. When they get back to camp half blood Nico found out his sister died so he got really angry and ran off which on his way finds out he is the son of Hades. Up on mount Olympus on the winter solstice they end up finding the monster which was a harmless cow sea serpent and so if you sacrifice a harmless monster you gain the power to over throw the gods, Artemis convinces the gods that they need to go to war with the