Constructing the Creative Economy: Design, Intermediaries and Institutions in Toronto and Copenhagen

Vinodrai T. Constructing the creative economy: design, intermediaries and institutions in Toronto and Copenhagen, Regional Studies. This article examines how labour market intermediaries (LMIs) secure the position of creative workers in the regional and national economy. Using evidence from Toronto (Canada) and Copenhagen (Denmark), it investigates the strategies and pathways taken by professional associations to secure the position of one group of workers: designers. The findings reveal the pervasive influence of institutions organized at a variety of scales that shape and constrain the ability of LMIs to secure the position of designers in the creative economy. This results in divergence in how LMIs position design and designers in labour markets, public policy, and global markets in each place.