The UNESCO/UNDP 2013 Creative Economy Report: Perks and Perils of an Evolving Agenda

This article develops a critical appraisal of the UNESCO Creative Economy Report (2013). It dis-cusses continuity and change in the focus and message of the UNCTAD Creative Economy Reports. The UNESCO Report aims at Widening Development Pathways and provides a balanced engagement with the relation between culture and development. It is a welcome addition to the creative economy debate that is now uncontestably global in scope. In spite of many perks, there is always room for improvement. First, there is a need for more critical engagement with examples, including bad ones. Second, mobility and visa issues among artists remain a concern. Third, the problematic opposition of developed and developing countries is no longer useful. Finally, the limited historical framing of (cultural) policy issues often leads to myopic thinking.