Creative Occupations and Regional Knowledge Base: Concepts, Trends and Territorial Correspondences

Abstract

In this paper we introduce the occupational aspects on creative work into the Hungarian literature. We give an overview on the evolution of spatial knowledge bases, using own categories, during the 1996-2005 period. After that following the 3T model developed on S wedish regions, we explain the regional development differences with sub-regional indicators on creative work, technology level of the economy, level of tolerance, volume of higher education, and diversity of amenities. We develop the model further, analytic-, synthetic-, and symbolic knowledge bases are distinguished in the new version, the local correspondences among university and occupational knowledge bases are analyzed according to these categories.

Our results suggest that creative core explains regional development with a very high degree. Also creative professionals have a strong effect on regional development, while the influence of creative leaders is weaker. The graduated workforce explains regional develop- ment better in Hungary than the creative workforce, which contradicts to international experiences. This finding suggests that due to the transition state of the Hungarian economy graduated labour does not always occupied in creative jobs. We also found a paradox to the literature on knowledge bases: the effect of university education is stronger in the analytic knowledge base than in synthetic knowledge base. During the opening of the Hungarian economy the capital and its agglomeration became the gate to external markets, and the gate for foreign firms to the local market. This process attracted the economic-, legal-, and social knowledge to the capital.