Cultural entrepreneurship in the context of spillovers within the cultural and creative industries: The case of design practice for social change

Abstract

This paper reveals the practice of cultural entrepreneurship in the context of innovation transfers through the realization of cultural and creative spillovers. It argues that in order to contribute to systematic and structural changes in other sectors, a new context is needed. The creation of a context, Klamer (Journal of Economic Methodology, 10(2), 191–212, 2003) suggests, involves a “deliberate valorization”—a process of development, enhancement and strengthening of certain values where the interdependencies among various stakeholders is of crucial importance. Taking this argument further, the paper analyzes the case study of Costruire Bellezza, which exemplifies knowledge spillovers from the design sector to the social service sector. It discusses the strategies cultural entrepreneurs undertake in order to generate and enhance economic, cultural and social value in a new context and, as such, generate social changes elsewhere. It also addresses the challenges that cultural entrepreneurs face while operating in a rapidly changing context.