Probably the most difficult aspect of developing a creative economy within a community is understanding, assessing and working with a community's power structure. I have spent a lot of time over the years developing, or attempting to develop community or economic development projects only to find that existing power structures were not conducive to new ideas or, at least not my ideas. In some cases, however, a new power structure emerged that supported the project(s).
In my presentation on Developing a Creative Economy, I stress the importance of existing power structures on allowing creatives to express themselves and create businesses in a community. Creatives gravitate to communities with a shared or flat power dynamic versus an elitist or hierarchical-based (top-down) power structure. (Howkins, 2013)
The following was taken from a presentation on Community Power Dynamics in February 2015 (Kahl, 2015). This will give you a basic understanding of the "types of community power (competing theories)" that you might be dealing with in your community.
Pluralism
- the way democracies work, with no dominant source of power
- individually focused with individuals making choices by exercising power through voting, etc.
Elitism
- small group of individuals control power, resources & the public agenda
- hierarchical structure - often, but not always based on wealth
Class-based
- similar to elitism, but based on class
- those in control of the economy control the public agenda
The Growth Machine
- variation of class based and generally groups or coalitions designed to enhance economic growth
- tends to include construction companies, real estate developers, banks & other business development professionals
In reality, there can be several power structures within the same community, both formal and informal. Although one might assume that all city governments in the U.S. would be pluralistic, they are not. Many, as you may have observed on your own, are very hierarchical. Sometimes elitist or class-based systems can work outside of the official city government that can wield enormous power over local decision-making especially if they control resources or wealth. Unfortunately, these structures are not conducive to developing a creative economy.
The success of a creative economy depends on a community's ability to "emphasize the need for locally led development efforts that build from within instead of depending on attracting from outside the community" (Eisinger 1998). For example, the success of the creative economy in downtown Rockford, Illinois between 2010 and 2016 was in a large part due to an informal pluralistic or flat power structure developed by the entrepreneurs themselves. These power systems are sometimes referred to as "organic" or "grass roots" and are defined by their seemingly lack of power and structure.
The small business owners and artists in the Rockford region came together to promote themselves with very little input or funding from the city. They helped to develop their own businesses and the Rockford City Market simultaneously. They came together and developed their own Buy Local organization outside of the local Chamber of Commerce. Finally, many started in-store events to attract customers and build foot traffic in the downtown. All of these pieces, individually created, came together to make a vibrant downtown controlled only by consumer demands.
WHAT TO DO…Interested in building a power structure in your community to support a creative economy? Begin by bringing your creative entrepreneurs and others who support them together in workshops, planning sessions or networking events. Avoid power structures that will limit you if possible, unless you can find traditionally hierarchical structures willing to be open to sponsoring events to bring these creatives together. Then just let them create! Greenville, Illinois is a perfect example of a community opening a dialog with its creatives. I will write more about their progress later.
As always, questions or comments please feel free to contact me at pscha2@illinois.edu. Also, if you would like to read more about this topic, my references and sources follow.
REFERENCES:
Binswanger-Mkhize, H.P., Regt, J.P., & Spector, S. (2009) Scaling Up Local & Community Driven Development (LCDD) A Real World Guide to Its Theory and Practice Online document accessed August 6, 2009 at http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTSOCIALDEVELOPMENT/Resources/244362-1237844546330/5949218-1237844567860/Scaling_Up_LCDD_Book_rfillesize.pdf
Brennan, M.A, & Israel, G.D. (2008). The Power of Community. Journal of the Community Development Society,39 (1): 82 – 98.
Chrislip, D. (2002). The Collaborative Leadership Field book. San Francisco CA: Jossey-Bass
Flora, C., & Flora, J., (2008). Rural Communities: Legacy and Change (3rd ed.). Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Eisinger P (1998) City politics in an era of federal devolution. Urban Affairs Review 33:308-325
Green, G.P. & Haines, A. (2008) Asset Building and Community Development (Second Ed). Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications.
Howkins, John (2001; 2nd Edition, 2013), The Creative Economy, Penguin Books , U.K
Kahl, Daniel Ph.D. (2015) Understanding Community Power Dynamics, part of the Foundations for Practice in Community Development series, February 19, 2015.
Seiler L.H. (1975) Community Power Structures and Methods' Artifacts: A Reinterpretation. The Sociological Quarterly, 16 (2):272-276.