Creativity and the experts: New Labour, think tanks, and the policy process

Schlesinger, P. (2009) Creativity and the experts: New Labour, think tanks, and the policy process. International Journal of Press/Politics, 14(1), pp. 3-20. (doi: 10.1177/1940161208328898)

Abstract

This article explores the role of expertise in public debate on creative industries policy in the United Kingdom. The first section gives an overview of the emergence of expertise in government and the rise of think tanks, locating this within a wider sociology of the intellectuals. It discusses the development of New Labour expertise in response to that of Thatcherite Conservatism in the battle to dominate public policy agendas. The second section illustrates the growth of the New Labour "policy generation" and the emergence of a cohort of experts in the fields of media, communications, and culture and discusses routes taken by them into government. The final section, based on interviews, discusses the power plays behind New Labour policy making in the creative industries field. It considers the impact of ministerial changes on the policy process, illustrates how interdepartmental rivalries introduce complexity and demonstrates how civil service expertise may be mobilised to neutralise that of outside experts. The conclusion addresses the implications of this analysis.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: Full text unavailable until January 2010 due to publisher embargo.
• Keywords: creative industries, creative economy, expertise, government, intellectuals, think tanks, public policy, United Kingdom
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Schlesinger, Professor Philip
• Authors: Schlesinger, P.
• Subjects: J Political Science > JC Political theory
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Culture and Creative Arts > Theatre Film and TV Studies
• Journal Name: International Journal of Press/Politics
• Publisher: SAGE
• ISSN: 1940-1612
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2009 SAGE
• First Published: First published in International Journal of Press/Politics 14(1):3-20
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher.

Project Code	Award No	Project Name	Principal Investigator	Funder's Name	Funder Ref	Lead Dept
44724	1	Creativity - policy and practice. A study of government, the BBC and UK Film Council	Philip Schlesinger	Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)	112152/1	CCA - THEATRE FILM AND TV STUDIES