Constructing the Creative Economy: Design, Intermediaries and Institutions in Toronto and Copenhagen

Abstract

Vinodrai T. Constructing the creative economy: design, intermediaries and institutions in Toronto and Copenhagen, Regional Studies. This article examines how labour market intermediaries (LMIs) secure the position of creative workers in the regional and national economy. Using evidence from Toronto (Canada) and Copenhagen (Denmark), it investigates the strategies and pathways taken by professional associations to secure the position of one group of workers: designers. The findings reveal the pervasive influence of institutions organized at a variety of scales that shape and constrain the ability of LMIs to secure the position of designers in the creative economy. This results in divergence in how LMIs position design and designers in labour markets, public policy, and global markets in each place.

Vinodrai T. 建构创意经济：多伦多与哥本哈根中的设计、中介与制度，区域研究。本文检视劳动市场中介 (LMIs) 如何在区域与国家经济中，确保创意工作者之职位。本文运用来自多伦多（加拿大）与哥本哈根（丹麦）的证据, 检视专业协会确保设计师此一工作群体职位所採取的策略与途径。研究发现显示在各层级所组织的制度的广泛影响力，该影响力形塑并限制了LMIs在创意经济中确保设计师职位的能力。此亦导致LMIs将设计与设计师定位于每处的劳动市场、公共政策，以及全球市场的差异方式。

Vinodrai T. Construire l’économie créative: la conception, les intermédiaires et les institutions à Toronto et à Copenhague, Regional Studies. Cet article examine comment les intermédiaires du marché du travail (à savoir les LMI) assurent la place des travailleurs créatifs dans l’économie régionale et nationale. S'appuyant sur des résultats provenant de Toronto (au Canada) et de Copenhague (au Danemark), on examine les stratégies et les sentiers suivis par les associations professionnelles afin d'assurer la place d'une catégorie de travailleurs: à savoir, les concepteurs. Les résultats laissent voir la forte influence des institutions organisées à diverses échelles qui déterminent et restreignent la capacité des LMI d'assurer la place des concepteurs dans l’économie créative. Cela entraîne une divergence dans la manière dont les LMI placent la conception et les concepteurs dans les marchés du travail, la politique publique, et les marchés mondiaux dans chaque endroit.

Vinodrai T. Konstruktion der Kreativwirtschaft: Design, Vermittler und Institutionen in Toronto und Kopenhagen, Regional Studies. In diesem Artikel wird untersucht, wie Arbeitsmarktvermittler die Position von kreativen Arbeitskräften in der regionalen und nationalen Wirtschaft sichern. Anhand von Belegen aus Toronto (Kanada) und Kopenhagen (Dänemark) werden die Strategien und Methoden von Berufsverbänden zur Sicherung der Position einer Gruppe von Arbeitskräften analysiert: Designern. Die Ergebnisse verdeutlichen den allgegenwärtigen Einfluss von auf verschiedenen Ebenen organisierten Institutionen, die die Möglichkeiten von Arbeitsmarktvermittlern zur Sicherung der Position von Designern in der Kreativwirtschaft prägen und einschränken. Dies führt zu einer Divergenz hinsichtlich der Methoden, mit denen Arbeitsmarktvermittler an den jeweiligen Orten das Design und die Designer in den Arbeitsmärkten, der öffentlichen Politik und den globalen Märkten positionieren.

Vinodrai T. Construcción de la economía creativa: diseño, intermediarios e instituciones en Toronto y Copenhague, Regional Studies. En este artículo se analiza en qué medida los intermediarios del mercado laboral garantizan la posición de los trabajadores creativos en la economía regional y nacional. A partir de ejemplos de Toronto (Canadá) y Copenhague (Dinamarca), se investigan las estrategias y métodos de las asociaciones profesionales para garantizar la posición de un grupo de trabajadores: diseñadores. Los resultados indican la influencia dominante de las instituciones organizadas según diferentes niveles que dan forma y limitan la capacidad de los intermediarios del mercado laboral para asegurar la posición de los diseñadores en la economía creativa. Esto se traduce en divergencia en lo que respecta a los métodos que utilizan los intermediarios del mercado laboral para posicionar en cada lugar el diseño y los diseñadores en los mercados laborales, la política pública y los mercados internacionales.

• Design
• Labour market intermediaries
• Creative economy
• Professional associations
• Canada
• Denmark

• 设计
• 劳动市场中介
• 创意经济
• 专业协会
• 加拿大
• 丹麦

• Conception
• Intermédiaires du marché du travail
• Économie créative
• Associations professionnelles
• Canada
• Danemark

• Design
• Arbeitsmarktvermittler
• Kreativwirtschaft
• Berufsverbände
• Kanada
• Dänemark

• Diseño
• Intermediarios del mercado laboral
• Economía creativa
• Asociaciones profesionales
• Canadá
• Dinamarca

JEL classifications:

• J44
• P5
• R23
• Z1

Acknowledgements

The author thanks Bas van Heur and Doreen Jakob for organizing this special issue, as well as the session entitled ‘Taking Matters into Third Hands: Intermediaries and the Organization of the Creative Economy’ at the annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers, in Seattle, Washington, USA, 12–16 April 2011. The author thanks the special issue editors and anonymous reviewers for very helpful and incisive comments. Thanks are also due to Mark Lorenzen (Copenhagen Business School), Kristina Vaarst Andersen (University of Copenhagen), and Josephine Rekers (Lund University) for their support during fieldwork, as well as Dan Bustillo, Tara Smedbøl and Jordan Katz for research assistance.

Funding

This work was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada [grant number 410-2011-0987].

Notes

1. Design is defined as industrial, product, graphic and related design activities; however, there is some blurring of boundaries between the design disciplines in practice (Reimer et al., 2008). This definition allows for consistency with previous research (Vinodrai, 2006).

2. Differences in how design work is defined and classified by Statistics Canada and Statistics Denmark make it difficult to separate architects and designers; however, the combined groups are comparable.

3. The Danish government is currently creating its fourth national design policy (DECA, 2011).

4. It is recognized that DDA is a membership-based trade association rather than a professional association. However, it is included in the discussion because of its origins in the professional association and is referred to as such. There is overlap between DDA and DD in terms of membership, functions and services due to the blurring of the boundaries between individuals and firms, characteristic of many parts of the creative economy (Reimer, 2009); more practically, this maintains the study's ethical requirements.

5. The author previously received funding from DIAC for a quantitative analysis of Ontario's design industry (Gertler and Vinodrai, 2004).