Creative Industries as Economic Infrastructure in Small Developing Economies

Abstract

This article argues that cultural and creative industries should be treated as economic infrastructure rather than as marginal lifestyle sectors in small developing economies. The analysis contends that music, film, festivals, design, literary production, digital content, and heritage-based enterprise generate value not only through direct revenue and employment but also through tourism spillovers, export identity, place branding, skills formation, and urban regeneration. Yet policy frameworks often underinvest in the sector because they misclassify cultural production as consumption rather than production. Drawing on UNESCO policy work and Caribbean regional initiatives, the article advances a framework for viewing creative industries as systems that require finance, rights protection, training, data, and market access. The development challenge is therefore not whether culture matters economically, but whether governments are prepared to build the institutional ecosystem that allows cultural value to compound.