ADVANCING THE MEASUREMENT OF THE CREATIVE ECONOMY:
A REVISED FRAMEWORK FOR CREATIVE INDUSTRIES AND TRADE
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II. EXISTING MEASUREMENT FRAMEWORKS
A. Economic dimension of the creative economy
International statistical classification systems allow for the production and analysis of comparable data. “The
International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) is the global reference classification
of productive activities. Its main purpose is to provide a set of activity categories that can be utilized for the
collection and reporting of statistics according to such activities” (UNSD, 2008). Like other classifications, ISIC
was not designed to collect data about cultural and creative industries but allows for the identification and
collection of information about creative productive activities and industries. A global consultation on the revised
structure of ISIC Rev. 4 was concluded in 2022, and ISIC Rev. 5 is already available (UNSD, 2023). There
are region-specific activity classifications that are derived from or related to ISIC. For example, the statistical
classification of economic activities in the European Community (NACE) was inspired by earlier versions of ISIC
and later influenced the new ISIC Rev. 5. NACE is used in the European Union and includes more details for some
activities for European users. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), used by Canada,
Mexico and the United States of America, is also related to ISIC.
Another classification that can be used to identify creative goods and services is the Central Product Classification
(CPC). The CPC aims “to classify the goods and services that are the result of production in any economy. This
production is accounted for in the national accounts of countries” (UNSD, 2015). CPC is also helpful in studying
transactions in goods and services in detail, including for international trade, and helps harmonizing various types
of statistics. The paper uses CPC Rev. 2 to link creative industry codes with codes of creative goods and services
in international trade. The revised CPC Rev. 3 structure is expected to be approved in 2024 and, therefore, it is
too early to use in this paper.
The notion of the creative economy is constantly evolving, with creativity and innovation playing a role across all
industries. Table 1 offers a comparative analysis of international organizations’ diverse methodologies, statistical
classifications, and scopes to compile statistics on cultural and creative industries. Each approach is underpinned
by a distinct rationale, resulting in somewhat divergent criteria for categorizing industries as “core” or “peripheral”
within the creative economy.
Several considerations and data compilations issues emerge:
• Common indicators to describe the creative economy: Predominantly, the creative economy’s contribution
to GDP, trade, and employment serves as the prevailing set of indicators for its characterization.
Recognizing the inherently intangible nature of creativity, these metrics, while not immune to imperfection,
remain invaluable tools for policymakers.
• The classification of creative industries is intrinsically linked to the ISIC code systems: To the extent
that there are deficiencies in the classification systems used, there will be deficiencies in the creative
industry definition. For example, regarding creative industries, it could be argued that the ISIC codes fail
to correctly identify the computer games or the music industries, which cannot be disentangled from
the more comprehensive creative arts and entertainment sector. The same applies to craft industries,
often embedded in many other sectors, some creative and some not. ISIC Rev. 5 improved capturing
creative industries, especially those linked to arts, performing arts, libraries, museums, and other cultural
activities.
• Industries contributing to manufacturing some creative and cultural goods: Handmade goods, artisanal
goods, or handicrafts are a crucial component of the creative sector, especially in developing countries.
However, manufacturing industries producing creative goods also create other products that are not
creative. For example, the manufacture of plastics products (ISIC 2220) includes the production of
statuettes and other ornamental articles (considered as creative), but also all types of plastics like those
used for packaging or parts of footwear. Therefore, considering all related manufacturing industries as
creative would result in an over-estimation of the sector. In addition, there is no distinction between
handmade and mass-produced goods in the Harmonised System used in international trade statistics.