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Refereed Articles

The Impact of the Creative Sector on Growth in German Regions

Jan Wedemeier (2010),
European Planning Studies 18(4), 505-520.

The objective of this paper is to analyse the impact of the creative sector—technological employees and bohemians—on economic growth in Germany’s planning regions. It is concluded that technological employees and bohemians foster growth. We find that growth is particularly dynamic in agglomerated and urbanized regions. Among regional factors relevant to the location decisions of creative professionals, diversity is analysed in particular, as it might stimulate growth because of its potential to increase the rate of interchange of different ideas and knowledge. The analysis of both—creative professionals and diversity—is related to two current topics in regional economics, namely the knowledge-based economy and its effects on city development, and the topic of creative cities.