Revisiting the Creative and Cultural Industries in Türkiye

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the developing framework of creative and cultural industries (CCI), focusing on Türkiye from 2008 to 2022 by adopting the widely accepted DCMS classification and introducing a Türkiye-specific classification to provide insights on the dynamics of creative and cultural industries over the last 5-10 years. The study differs by covering a broad period and adopting a Turkey-specific classification, applying a commonly held approach into the industry's dynamics. In this way, it also aims to provide a comparison with the results in the international literature. The methodology involves a descriptive analysis of employment and workplace data within CCIs, employing location quotient (LQ) for provincial specializations and clusters. According to the results, the CCI employment (% of total employment) is 3.66 % in 2022 and close to the EU level. Also, the growth rate of CCI employment is much higher than total employment for the same year. On the other hand, the results of the LQ analysis re-emphasize the creative hub characteristics of Istanbul and Ankara, while Kocaeli has also specialized in CCI as of 2018. Izmir still maintains its potential specialization characteristic. Finally, the share of CCI employment by occupation (%) shows the impact of digitalization and innovation on non-traditional CCI sectors.