CREATIVE INDUSTRIES: New Aspen Review out now!

The term “creative industries” describes a variety of economic activities which can help communities achieve a number of fiscal and cultural goals. But why exactly is creative economy so important? How can cultural organizations and projects benefit both artists and business? And what is a “creative incubator”? These are just some of the questions our contributors consider in the new Aspen Review Central Europe (4/2015).

This issue's Cover Story focuses on the role that creative industries play in today’s society. First, in an interview with Maciej Nowicki, professor John Howkins breaks down the concept of the creative economy and the unique challenges it presents.  In the second story, Ann Markusen and Anne Gadwa Nicodemus overview the three different approaches taken by three different American cities towards the economic development driven by creative industries.  For those seeking to keep up with the quickly moving rhetoric of creative industries, Agata Etmanowicz  examines the oft-used buzz term “creative incubator” and its importance in today’s economic landscape. In the final cover story, Jiří Sulženko and Michaela Mixová discuss the process and future of the creative zone DEPO2015 in Pilsen.

In the Politics section, American political scientist and Stanford University fellow Francis Fukuyama brings a sobering perspective on the future of the EU. Two authors are addressing one of the biggest issues Europe is facing nowadays – the migration crisis. Simone Kraus assesses the reaction of Germany and its leaders to the increasing numbers of incoming asylum-seekers, while Piotr Buras wites about the perceptions of the refugee wave in Central and Eastern Europe. Andrew Wilson looks at yet another up-to-date topic by analysing four types of Russian propaganda.

A broad range of issues is addressed in the Economy section of the new issue. To name but a few, Michał Lubina reflects on the economic and cultural transitions of China and Russia. José Ignacio Torreblanca then examines the crises confronting Spaniards at the ballot box this December.

In the Culture section, Benjamin Cunningham reviews noted historian Timothy Snyder’s new Holocaust book “Black Earth”, while Patrycja Pustkowiak assesses a new book on the history of the infamous Klu Klux Klan in her review “Strange Fruits of the South”.

We wish you an inspiring reading!