Dr. Arwiphawee Srithongrung and Dr. Patricia Byrnes Publish an Article on Arts and Cultural Activities and Economic Development

Dr. Arwiphawee Srithongrung, IIPF Research Fellow and Dr. Patricia Byrnes, Affiliated Faculty, published an article on the causal linkages between arts and cultural activities and employment, the attraction of knowledge workers into a regional economy, and the resulting impact on economic growth. The journal in which they published their research is one of the top journals in the nation on the subject of economic development. Drs. Kriz and Byrnes find that the arts enhance a regional economy through direct and indirect paths. The empirical results add three points to the theory set out in the literature. First, the study suggests that there is a need to disaggregate arts and other knowledge-based occupations in the creative class occupational lists defined in previous studies because the two occupational types contribute in a distinctive way to the local economy, as shown by the empirical results in this study. Second, the accumulation of specialization in producing artistic goods and services tends to enhance local personal income. Third, artistic goods and services serve residents and hence attract and retain knowledge-class workers, which in turn act as an engine of growth. You can find the paper link on the Academic Papers and Presentation page.