The Brussels-Capital Region Shifting Economy Strategy: CCIs as a priority sector in the economy and the transition

The Brussels-Capital Region Shifting Economy Strategy proposed a reference framework that linked economic dynamism with social justice and environmental protection, while promoting the development of citizens. It placed the Brussels economy within planetary limits and offered Brussels enterprises numerous opportunities such as acquisition of new markets, cost reduction, differentiation from competition, technical and social innovation, positive societal impact, and participative governance, among others. These various competitive advantages aimed to position Brussels on the map of foreign markets and encourage foreign investment in the capital. The Shifting Economy Strategy encompassed 224 measures, associated with seven levers and economic instruments, and it targeted six sectors of the economy, namely, food, resources, and waste, construction, cultural and creative industries, mobility, and healthcare. This paper aims to provide an assessment of the implementation process of 11 measures dedicated to cultural and creative industries (CCIs) to better understand why they were put in place, what worked, and what should be revisited/reformulated. To fulfill this research purpose, the author interviewed 15 stakeholders from different public/private bodies in charge of designing and implementing the measures. This paper provides a process evaluation of the implementation of CCI measures and draws some lessons learned from this pioneering experience.