Creative accounting? Assessing the economic impact of the creative industries: an input-output approach for the Cardiff City-Region.

The role of the creative industries as a driver of regional economic growth has been of great interest in policy and academic spheres. This thesis evaluates the extent to which sub-regional input-output tables can capture the economic contribution of the creative industries in a way that can shape local policy. An input-output table for the Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) disaggregated to show the nine DCMS defined creative industries sub-sectors is constructed. The findings show that some sub-sectors could achieve CCR policy objectives of generating growth, GVA uplift and creating jobs. Separately, there is concern that the spatial and demographic distribution of the benefits are unlikely to benefit the areas and groups most in need. Attention is given to the extent these novel statistics could influence policy at the sub-regional scale. The findings show that the shifting definitions in the creative industries and spatial scales of political influence weaken the prospect of policy change. Additionally, the impact of the covid-19 crisis has moved policy focus from achieving growth, to managing damage.