This document contains an executive summary of the analysis of the Dutch government policies for the Creative Industries.

1. DOES THE CONTENT REACH THE USER?AN ANALYSIS OF THE DUTCH GOVERNMENT POLICIES FOR THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

2. AUTHORWILLEMIJN
BRAKENHOFF
ANTWERP

3. DESIGN BY STUDIO MAE ENGELGEER

4. The economic crisis and the financial cut on cultural policies during Cabinet Rutte I have had a direct
influence on the creative industries and are now a subject of public discussion. In the cultural sector,
state funding cuts have been made and support organisations have been merged. During this period
the creative industries has been named as one of the nine top sectors1
in the Netherlands. A top sector
policy has been created for the creative industries as a result of this entitlement and as a consequence,
the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science started to collaborate with the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs.
This study derives from a discovery carried out by the Council of Culture and the Advisory board for
Science, Technology and Innovation (AWTI). This discovery forms the foundation of the report
‘The value of creativity’ in which both Council of Culture and AWTI have stated the policies on creative
industries written by both Ministries. However, these are poorly aligned and are therefore missing
out on opportunities. The Council of Culture and AWTI found that it is unclear for stakeholders within
the creative industries which measures are available from the various policy domains, that funding
instruments do not effectively align, and that the science agenda of the self-governing bodies do not fit
the practice of the creative industries. An analysis on Dutch government policy in the creative industry
will lead to clear insight in these matters.
The study was guided by the following questions:
Where do policy instruments for the design sector – derive from
Dutch government policy for the creative industries - do not align
with each other and with practice? And which recommendations can
be made to bridge this gap?
In order to answer the main research question, qualitative research was carried out and interviews
with the following stakeholders were conducted: policy officers from the Government of the
Netherlands, also referred to as ‘de Rijksoverheid’, members of the advisory board, board members of
intermediary organisations and creative industries experts.
These interviews were investigated according to descriptive transcripts after being thematically
coded. For interpretation and context of the research findings, a theoretical framework is required.
1
The government has earmarked the creative sector as a top sector in view of its current strong position and scope for growth.
The government, industry and science will target investment in this sector.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
AN ANALYSIS OF THE DUTCH GOVERNMENT POLICIES FOR THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

5. The results from this report provided insight in the respondents’ perceptions on the diverse
stumbling-blocks in the government policies for the creative industries. This research shines a light on
the gap between practice and policies. The explanation for existing gap can be grouped in four
distinguished stumbling-blocks:
Firstly, roles and responsibilities of support organisations are not always clear. Lack of clarity is a
consequence of the restructuring of ‘Het Nieuwe Instituut’ and ‘Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve
Industrie’’. For a long time it was unclear what the rationale was behind these institutions and for
what purposes the creative sector could approach these institutions. The lack of clarity is also a
consequence of both the state and the supporting organisations having different expectations of the
supporting tasks of the top sector policies.
Secondly, the instruments of the government policy for the creative industry are not always
accessible or known by designers. This is due to the designers’ (lack of) knowledge about the
government policies and their (lack of) knowledge about the conditions for using the existing
instruments. Also, the conditions for applying generic instruments of the Ministry of Economic Affairs
are practiced as restrictive conditions. According to the WBSO-regeling, the definition for innovation is
narrowed down to technological innovation which has as a consequence that a large number of
creative entrepreneurs are being excluded from the ability to use these instruments.
Thirdly, there seems to be a gap between the practice of creative industries and the policy
implementation of the state. The findings of this research show that (novice) designers have a lack of
entrepreneurial skills due to the fact that effective policy measures have not been taken in the
curriculum in their education until now. Today, the focus on entrepreneurship within their education
is missing. It is suggested that awareness amongst (novice) designers on where knowledge can be
found within the different chains of design practice should be raised.
And finally, it shows that the state does not sufficiently encourages collaboration between creative
industries and businesses from traditional industries. According to the respondents, the valorisation
of creativity to other sectors is still premature, whereas the value of creation exists when it is applied
in other sectors. The state has tried to actively encourage collaboration in the golden triangle
(government, science and business), but in practice, collaboration exists between four parties.
According to the respondents, these collaborations do not happen spontaneously and incentives are
needed to encourage the creation of long-term and effective collaboration. Respondents from the
creative industry are in need of extra incentives to collaborate with the traditional industries to
increase valorisation.
CONCLUSION

6. DESIGN BY STUDIO ROOSEGAARDE

7. Based on the earlier mentioned conclusions, there are a number of recommendations that can be
made to the government and the supporting organisations.
In current policy the rolls and responsibilities are divided however, the identified parties should
determine who is doing what and who should take the lead. There is a role for the government to
monitor the distribution of tasks and avoid overlap in this division. It should be ready to intervene
when other organisations want to carry out a task that is covered by an other organisation. When an
incident like this takes place, it is recommended that all parties should consult their policies, this is
where roles and responsibilities are covered. Only in this way, clarity and transparency will be created
on policies, roles and responsibilities.
In order the make the entry conditions for the generic schemes of the Ministry of Economic Affairs
more accessible to designers, it is important that the definition regarding innovation is reviewed.
Although the research has indicated that an extension of this definition does not belong to the
possibilities, it is advisable to conduct further research into this matter.
By agreeing that the existing instruments and the current policy are becoming more and more
restrictive, a process can be deployed to align existing policies and current practices.
The central government and the school of arts should develop an entrepreneurial mentality among
creatives. This can be achieved by carrying out school projects with multidisciplinary teams, to let
students familiarise with professional and inter-branch associations. It is advisable to support them by
organizing meetings where multiple designers come together and share knowledge and experiences
on entrepreneurship. But most of all, the government should focus on drawing attention to valorise
creativity.
By making the Dutch organisations aware of the fact that value can be created when working
collaboratively with a creative organisation, the threshold for collaboration could be reduced. The
government should become aware of the fact that collaboration between creatives and traditional
companies is essential for daily design practice.
When the government becomes aware of the added value that creativity can bring to society and to
businesses, it might well lead to a greater willingness to invest by banks and private investors.
However, when a relevant recommendation needs to be made, further investigation is required.
More information about this research or report? Please feel free to contact me.
Willemijn Brakenhoff
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willemijnbrakenhoff@gmail.com
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