Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) for the Creative Industries

The Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) will actively formulate policy and guidance to accelerate and shape growth in the UK’s creative industries.

The School of Journalism, Media and Culture will lead its UK centre of expertise in the areas of arts, culture and public service broadcasting.

Project aims

In our work strand, we will focus on the key opportunities and challenges facing arts, culture and public service broadcasting (PSB) in a digital age characterised by choice, competition and change.

Our goal is to support the economic viability and cultural distinctiveness of this provision.

Detail

Issues of particular interest to policymakers include funding models and regulation, platform expansion, digital innovation (including data analytics and personalisation), and audience engagement within new media ecologies.

As argued in the recent report by the Creative Industries Federation and Arts Council England, Public Investment, Public Gain, ‘public investment in the development of innovative technologies will position the UK as a future world-leader’. In this context, during the first phase of this five-year project, we examine the obstacles and opportunities for arts and culture organisations to develop and integrate new technology (eg immersive storytelling, mobile experiences).

Taking the lead from our ongoing consultations with relevant stakeholders, we will map and establish the evidence base for this dimension of our work strand. As a contextual framework for later projects, our priority is to conduct a review of recent research in this area, and where appropriate develop case studies, briefings and toolkits for arts and cultural stakeholders.

In addition, our research considers the value proposition of public service broadcasting in the 21st Century, especially in relation to its engagement with young audiences. Both projects will draw on our emerging collaborations and preliminary research for the PEC.

Our work spans the UK regions and nations. We will draw on and expand the methodological framework of the PEC by drawing on our expertise in qualitative data-analysis, with a particular emphasis on policy-making. We will be working in partnership with a range of external stakeholders to build the long-term sustainability for arts, culture and public service broadcasting in and from the UK.