Cultural Democracy: Universities in the Creative Economy

Abstract

The influence of globalization on institutions of higher education is one of the leading topics in educational policy today. As the nexus of innovation increasingly moves from labor-intensive ‘smokestack industries' to ‘mind work’, education is becoming critical to policy discussions on economic growth. Tracing current discourse on the ‘corporatization’ of higher education, this article suggests that the challenge for reconceptualizing the university today is linked to changes in the global economy. Alongside discourse on a global knowledge economy, many scholars now point to the increasing importance of creativity and a creative economy. Examining higher education from the perspective of a creative economy, the author explores the need to better understand the linkages between democracy and innovation.