Will the same environment of rule of law, intellectual property rights, labor rights and democracy that increased Turkey’s GDP per capita to $10,524 in 2011 propel it to the government’s target? Indeed, the same government has a plan to increase research and development by 2023, according to the OECD Technology, Science and Industry Outlook report, with an additional allocation of $217.4 million to the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, the main body for organizing national R&D activities. But is pouring money on the issue enough to sustain what The Economist dubs the “Boom on the Bosphorus”?
It may be, but how then to explain Turkey’s other overtures that squelch creativity? Late last month, 2,000 police descended on the campus of Middle Eastern Technical University to block a student protest. The university happens to be among the best entrepreneurial ecosystems in the country, but the government’s actions essentially squashed young people’s right to express themselves, their desire for creativity and essentially created a culture of fear. This government also happens to lead the world in requests for Google to remove content from the Internet and has the most journalists in jail. Is it aware how this impedes its ability to become a top-10 economy and attractive investment destination?
This culture of fear created among those unfavorable creatives has not showed up in GDP yet, but it may be in the long run.
These are not just rhetorical questions. Rather, they force a fundamental reckoning about the type of society and economy a government wants to foster. Studies show that there is strong connection between the creative class and levels of entrepreneurship in a region. Arts, design, media and entertainment function “can be a driver of creativity and entrepreneurship across a region,” Florida says.
これらは単なる問いかけではない。むしろ、一国の政府がどのような社会経済を助長したいかに関する基本的な見解をせまるものだ。調査から、各地域における独創家グループと起業家精神のレベルの間には強力な繋がりがあること分かっている。アート、デザイン、メディア、エンターテイメントの機能は「ある地域全体の独創性と起業家精神を動かすものとなりうる」とFlorida氏は述べている。
これらは答えを必要としない質問ではない。むしろ、こうした質問は政府がどのような種類の社会や経済を育てたいのか、最終的な決断を強力に求めるものとなる。数々の調査では、地域内におけるクリエイティブな人々の集団と起業のレベルの間には強い関連があることが示されている。アート、デザイン、メディア、そしてエンターテイメントの機能が「地域全体のクリエイティビティや起業の推進力となり得る」、とFlorida氏は述べる。
Courage is the first step of the creative process. By restricting free thinking, especially for those whose existence is based on asking questions, governments prevent this very basic first step. Currently, there is no pressure on emerging economies with astonishing growth rates to make their markets more creative. But they must proceed with caution: What brought their economies to this level won’t carry them into the future.
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