The Creative Apulia strategy invested €90 million from 2007-2013 in cultural and creative industries in Apulia, Italy. This included funding 168 cities, 18 cultural centers, over 400 startups, and renovating public spaces. Preliminary results show increases in tourism, with film productions generating €9 million from 2007-2010. The strategy aims to create a creative cluster of 90 enterprises to strengthen synergies. Impact evaluation faces challenges in defining and measuring outcomes, and establishing causality without a control group. Case studies of the Apulia Film Commission and Environmental and Cultural Systems provide examples of supported initiatives and how their impacts could be assessed based on criteria like services, partnerships, management, and financial efficiency.

1. CREATIVE APULIA
Facts, figures and preliminary results
WealthR meeting – 22 MAY 2014
Pierluigi Montalbano
Sapienza University of Rome (Italy)
pierluigi.montalbano@uniroma1.it
Stakeholder Consultation on
Creative industries and LSED: Case studies
and policy guidelines
Promoting
Local Sustainable
Economic Development

2. BACKGROUND
• Where are we?
• Why measuring success is not straightforward?
• What thus can we do?
Promoting
Local Sustainable
Economic Development

3. • The most recent literature looks at culture and
creativity as key drivers for LSED (see Montalbano et
al., 2014).
• In the first phase of the Wealth project we discussed
about the conceptual framework and the key factors
for the start-up of a cultural-based LSED.
• It is now time to address the most difficult task of
our research program: i.e., to quantify the success
(i.e., the added value) of programs and/or policies
undertaken to foster culture and creativity and, then,
LSED in priority areas.
Where are we?

4. • First, the outcome (i.e., cultural participation,
creativity, etc.) is difficult to define and measure
(UNESCO, 2012);
• Second, in absence of a randomized experiment, the
analysis of causal effect of cultural policies and
creativity promotion policies/programs is not
observable by looking at pure facts (we need
counterfactuals).
• It stands to reason that we cannot derive any casual
effect by looking at simple correlations between
cultural outcomes and funding.
Why is this not straightforward?

5. • We believe that the collection and discussion of a set
of case studies, coming from heterogeneous
international perspectives, could provide key insights
about the causal determinants of the nexus between
culture/creativity and LSED.
• Our aim is thus to organize and launch the collection
of a set of available case studies from the project
partners and stakeholders.
• The final goal is to elaborate, discuss and agree
within the research group a set of common
recommendations and policy guidelines to bring to
the attention of the EC.
What can we do?

6. The Creative Apulia strategy is very recent and
its actual implementation is currently in place.
After one cycles of structural funds’ programs
It’s time to take stock.
Let’s start with some key figures on the culture
and creativity sector in the Apulia Region.
The Apulia’s case

7. FACTS and FIGURES
Promoting
Local Sustainable
Economic Development
BACKGROUND
• Apulia’ strategy in a nutshell
– Overall investments in the field (2011-2013)
– The set of initiatives and achievements
– Stylized facts about the outcomes

8. Overall Investments by item

9. The Apulia’s case in a nutshell (1)
• In the period 2007-2013:
– € 90 mln of public investments;
– 168 cities involved;
– 18 Environmental and Cultural System set up
(covering almost the entire Apulian territory);
– 421 start-up enterprises;
– 159 old buildings revamped (to be used as “new
public spaces” for the young);
– 12 theatres re-opened (185 operators involved).

10. The Apulia’s case in a nutshell (2)
• AFC. Some figures:
– more than 50 film projects in 2013;
– over 170 since 2007;
– local impacts estimated in € 9 mln. for the period
2007-2010;
– 1:6 the ratio between regional/public fund allocation
and direct expenditure
• BIFEST. Some figures:
– 400 events per edition; 50.000 visitors per edition:
overall income per edition: € 2,6 mln;

11. The Apulia’s case in a nutshell (3)
• Puglia Sounds. Some figures:
– 500 events; 47 summer festivals; 70 concerts;
600.000 spectators; 53 recording productions; 11
countries;
• MEDIMEX. Some figures:
– more than 10,000 visitors per edition and an overall
short-term economic impact of € 2,6 mln, without
considering the long-term impacts.

12. The Apulia’s case in a nutshell (4)
• Living Labs. Some figures:
– More than 50 companies involved;
– 34 Living Labs;
– New projects within the following domains:
environment, security and territorial protection;
cultural heritage; energy; e-government; social
inclusion and healthy and active ageing; education
and training; creative industries; transport and
mobility.

13. Stylized Facts: Tourism dynamics
Figure 1 - Tourism dynamics of Apulia, Southern Regions and Italy national
average (period 2000-2010). Source: Apulia Tourism Observatory

14. Apulia Region’s regional departments
(Tourism, Culture and Economic
Development) together with the most
important cultural institutions, Teatro
Pubblico Pugliese (theatre, music and dance
sectors), Apulia Film Commission
(audiovisual sector) and the regional CCIs
are currently engaged in setting up a
creative and cultural cluster (90
enterprises) aimed at reinforcing synergies,
improving impacts, sharing experiences and
developing new models and tools for
enterprises in the cultural and creativity
sector.
The joint actions of the two regional
agencies (TPP and AFC) contributed to
the development of agglomeration
economies and regional clusters aimed
at promoting a critical mass of
investments in new technologies,
talents and abilities. The aim is to
contrast the penetration of big players
as well as the adoption of external
values inconsistent with European and
national identities
the CCIs Cluster
INITIATIVE – 4) THE LOCAL COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES
Stylized Facts: CCIs Cluster

15. IMPACT EVALUATION
• Preliminary Questions
• Preliminary Activities
• Facts or Counterfactuals?
Promoting
Local Sustainable
Economic Development

16. Preliminary questions
• What is our definition of «policy success» in the field?
• Is there consistency between objectives (“policy success”)
and instruments?
• Is there consistency between planned instruments and
applied tools?
• Is there consistency among actual achievements, our
objectives and our definition of “policy success”?
• Are there (positive or negative) spill-over (out-of-scope)
effects?
• Can we decompose our measure of success in small
achievements along the local value chains (creativity,
turism, audiovisual, etc.)

17. Preliminary activities
• A clear-cut definition of the likely “transmission channels”,
by fleshing out: the heterogeneous nature of local value
chains, culture, innovation and creativity links; local
economic and social dynamics; other indirect and direct
impacts; shortcomings and vulnerabilities, etc.
• A through analysis of the «spill-over effects», i.e. the
presence of «mediating factors” able to transmit to the rest
of the population the «treatment» applied to target groups;
• In absence of randomized experiments, the need to setting
up appropriate methods to remove self-selection bias
which is endogenous to the nature of promotion
instruments

18. Facts or counterfactuals?
• Credible impact assessments use random assignments to
address the “what if” question…
• Naïve Example: Do hospitals make people less healthy?
– It is exactly a stylized fact (people who go to hospitals are
statistically less healthy than people who do not go)
– The issue is that less healthy people self-select to go to
the hospital
– We should remove this self-selection bias by asking the
“what if “ question:
• i.e., What would have happened to people who
did not go if they went (this is a counterfactual)

19. THE APULIA’s CASE STUDIES
- AFC
- ECS
Promoting
Local Sustainable
Economic Development

20. APULIA FILM COMMISSION
A public foundation set up under regional legislation, was
established in 2007 with the aim of attracting audiovisual
production companies to the area through the good value of its
facilities, the professionalism of its skilled personnel and the
lowering of costs for travel, cast, crew and location scouting in the
region.
AFC supports and co-ordinates all links in the film and audiovisual
production chain with four funding programmes and a variety of free
services which provide immediate solutions to logistical problems
such as scouting and photo-scouting in the region, reductions in
the costs of using public areas, studios for casting and office space.
APULIA FILM COMMISSION
Case study 1
Promoting
Local Sustainable
Economic Development

21. HETEROGENEITY IN LOCAL VALUE CHAINS

22. Analizzare esperienze concrete
CASE STUDY - THE ECS
ENVIRONMENTAL
AND CULTURAL
SYSTEMS” (ECS)
What are they?
clusters of local bodies
(municipalities) for the
management of environmental,
cultural heritage and
performances.

23. WHAT YOU CAN SEE WHEN YOU ARRIVE?
- new integrated
cultural services
ENVIRONMENTAL
AND CULTURAL
SYSTEMS” (ECS)

24. WHEN YOU ARRIVE WHAT YOU CAN SEE?
ENVIRONMENTAL
AND CULTURAL
SYSTEMS” (ECS)
- networking (physical,
IC&T, functional, etc.)
- creative
entrepreneurship
- Investments in new
technologies

25. VERSO LA SMART PUGLIA
ENVIRONMENTAL
AND CULTURAL
SYSTEMS” (ECS)
touristic
information
and marketing
WHEN YOU ARRIVE WHAT YOU CAN SEE?

26. ESC: THE ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK
The efficacy of the ESC will be evaluated according to the following 5
criteria:
• Please fill in the items below
• Qualified Integrated services:
– Please provide a brief description of the services
– Please provide info on the nature of qualification
– Please provide info on the nature of the integration
– How to you think this will impact on the entire system?
– Please report the main caveats
• Partnership and co-projects
– Please provide a brief description of the nature of the partnership
(e.g., private, youth, women, disadvantaged social categories,
etc.)
– Please provide info on the nature of qualification
– Please provide info on the nature of the integration
– How to you think this will impact on the entire system?

27. ESC: THE ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK
• Integrated Management
– Please provide a brief description of the nature of the integration
– How to you think this will impact on the entire system?
– Please report the main caveats
• Ex-ante sustainability
– Please provide a brief description of the nature of the
sustainability
– Please provide a brief description of the managers’ qualifications
– How to you think this will impact on the entire system?
– Please report the main caveats
• Improvement of financial efficiency and spending review
– Please provide a brief description about the nature of the
financial efficiency’ improvements
– Please provide a quantitative measure of the spending review
consistency
– How to you think this will impact on the entire system?

28. THE APULIA’s CASE STUDIES
Guest Speakers:
- Cristina Piscitelli (Apulia Film Commission)
- Gianfranco Ciola (Via Traiana ECS – Dune Costiere Park)
Promoting
Local Sustainable
Economic Development