Policies to support cultural and creative industries: Opportunities or threats for cultural heritage? Empirical evidence from the UK

Over the last twenty years, the increasing attention to creative economy, creative industries and creative class has attracted the consideration of European public policies, contributing to a progressive shift from “cultural” to “creative”. In Italy, the switch towards the Cultural and Creative Industries, supported by the economic and managerial literature, has influenced national and regional public policies such as some cultural district projects. In this innovative context, the paper focuses on the origins, features and effects of the shift towards creativity, aiming at understanding its impact on cultural heritage and museum management. Going over the scientific debate on this topic, the beginning of this new approach and its development are pointed out, analysing the case of the UK. The research is based on the deep examination of scientific articles, policy documents and reports and strengthened by some in-depth interviews to a sample of museum managers in London.