Understanding the Issue

A Global Creative Mandate
The current global economic recession reminds us of the tumultuous and often unpredictable nature of the economy. The people, industries and communities that value ideas above all else will not only survive the downturn but thrive in the coming years.

Thought leaders like Richard Florida and Daniel Pink remind us that “building an economy dependent on ideas is indispensible to today’s economic development.” Economies once dependent on logical, linear thinking must now turn to strategies tied to inventive, conceptual thought. Across the globe, imagination, invention, and artistry are the new building blocks on which sustainable, competitive advantages are based; uniqueness, performance, and aesthetic appeal are replacing mass production as benchmarks for success.

The North Carolina Experience
North Carolina once saw its comparative advantage in cheap labor, land and energy, but increased costs and greater competition make it more difficult to compete on price. To retain jobs and our quality of life, North Carolina’s creative ideas must be explored, invested in and marketed for competitive advantage.

By generating intellectual property and rethinking design, new and existing firms will develop novel products and services and better ways to produce them. The strategy requires new talent that draws from a rapidly changing base of human capital. Over the past twenty years, our state has become both older and younger, increasingly varied in its skills, more globally connected, and increasingly demanding of cultural resources. It is our challenge to harness and expand these talent assets as we develop our state’s idea-based economy.