Commercializing "Creative" Expertise: Business and professional services and regional economic development in the West Midlands, United Kingdom

In the economically developed world, over 75 percent of all jobs involve some form of service work. Over the last 30 years, there has been a dramatic growth in business and professional services (BPS) or those firms that provide "creative" intermediate inputs into the activities of client companies. BPS firms have a double impact on regional economic performance: they add value in their own right but also create productivity improvements in client companies. This article explores the development of a BPS-focused regional economic development policy in the West Midlands, United Kingdom. Developing a policy framework for BPS is problematic as the heterogeneous nature of BPS activities means that no single lobbying group exists to represent their interests. The West Midlands has tried to overcome this difficulty by creating subregional networking organizations and, more recently, by developing a policy approach that attempts to enhance the added value BPS firms provide to their clients. This represents a major, but as yet untested, development in policy intervention as it recognizes the complex interactions that occur between BPS firms and their clients.