Spatial concentration of creative industries and location of creative clusters in Poland

Abstract

The authors compared the geographical distribution of creative clusters in Poland with the spatial distribution of LQ (Location Quotient) measuring the concentration of creative entities in a given area. The study aimed to answer the following questions: what is the spatial distribution of clustering potential for creative industries?, which municipalities are home to entities forming creative clusters?, and, above all, are creative clusters actually formed in areas offering the greatest potential in this respect? In order to find answers to the above questions, the authors carried out two sub-analyses. The first led to the conclusion that only 1.9% of municipalities in Poland offer conditions for creative specialisations, including the formation of creative clusters (LQ > 1.25). The next step involved a comparison of geographical distribution of areas with clustering potential with areas being home to actual creative clusters. The authors did not observe any relationship between the value of LQ reflecting clustering potential for creative industries and the distribution and size of active creative clusters. The correlation coefficient between LQ and the number of cluster members was positive but weak. It shows that creative clusters in Poland are not formed in locations offering best conditions in terms of the number of potential members. Therefore, there are other factors behind the formation of cluster structures. Nevertheless, local potential should be the main driving force because it is one of the crucial components of favourable conditions for building economic specialisation and a foundation on which proper cluster structures should be built on.