1. The Internet, Projectization, and Science and Technology: Strategic Tools to Develop Caribbean Cultural and Creative Industries By Ian W. Walcott
9th Annual Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social & Economic Studies (SALISES) Conference
Reinventing the Political Economy Tradition of the Caribbean
 A Conference in Honour of Norman Girvan
UWI, Mona Jamaica, March , 2008

2. Presentation Overview
Caribbean in Post Cold War Global Context
Caribbean Focus on Cultural & Creative Industries
What is Global Insertion?
A Model of Projectization
Regional & National Strategies for Science & Technology
Internet & Digitization Policies
Conclusion

3. The Caribbean in Post Cold War Global Context
Galloping Globalization/Regionalism
FTAA
Asian Meltdown
Pacific vs. Atlantic
Clash of Civilizations
1990s Caribbean Recession & Implementation Deficit
The Hope of Culture

4. Caribbean Focus on Cultural & Creative Industries – Festival Tourism
UNESCO Categories
Link to Festival Tourism
Need for product differentiation
Economic Impact of Festival
The Impact in Barbados

5. Update: Latest EIA 2005-2007Conducted by SALISES Cave Hill
Economic Impact of Crop Over 2001: A Summary Table $
Total Injections (spending) during Crop Over 2001, of which:
8,806,642
NCF Sponsored Events
4,446,042
Other Spending
4,360,600
Less: Tourist Spending at Crop Over
(1,860,000)
Total Local Spending
6,946,642
Net Spending by Tourists
22,216,593
Total Injections Arising from Festival (Direct Impact)
29,163,245
of which Personal Income
5,368,320
Indirect Plus Induced Impact*
24,438,791
VAT Receipts
1,311,231
Total Economic Impact
54,913,257
Estimated Employment Generated
2,297
Update: Latest EIA Conducted by SALISES Cave Hill
shows impact at $75M

6. Caribbean Focus on Cultural & Creative Industries – The ‘Disconnects’
Regional cultural policy developed in 1994
Only Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad have cultural policies
Curriculum reform remains critical
National cultural agencies forced to go to private sector to finance programming
Barbados’ aging plant and infrastructure to support the arts
Yet new buildings & infrastructure are going up everyday

7. Caribbean Focus on Cultural & Creative Industries – The ‘Disconnects’
CARIFESTA now CARIFIASCO - runs the risk of becoming an elitist platform
Signs of mismanagement, disorganization and chaos
Region failed to implement the new CARIFESTA strategy
Lack of funding plagues the arts in the region
Governments benefit from arts festivals yet unwilling to give incentives to arts

8. What is Global Insertion? The Reinaldo Goncalves Model
Commercial openness = coefficient of exports over GNP;
Financial openness = ratio of foreign debt to GNP;
Third level of openness
“real production”
the amount of foreign direct investment (FDI)
the portion of capital stock detained by multinational corporations (MNCs)

9. What is Global Insertion? Two New Factors to Consider
Presence on Internet as global trading platform:
What percentage trade over Internet?
How many private and public sector companies conduct business on Net?
What percentage of local entities has presence on Internet?
What’s the measurement of online transactions using credit cards?

10. What is Global Insertion? Two New Factors to Consider
Managing the brand, image and international public opinion of country
Impact on FDI
Caribbean viewed as exotica
Caribbean Fight against OECD
Exotica factor impacting our cultural industries

11. Strategic Projectization Cycle Model

12. Challenges with Caribbean Projectization
No common national project management standards in public sector
No common regional standard
Few cases of loosely defined project management structure exist in Barbados, Trinidad and Jamaica

13. Challenges with Caribbean Projectization
Indigenous Caribbean lagging their MNC counterparts or rivals in :
Technology
Mindset
HR Skills
Business Systems
Constantly re-inventing the wheel
Remain family-owned businesses with relatively small business structures

14. Regional and National Strategies for Science & Technology – The Regional Commitment or Rhetoric?
Environmental protection
Develop skilled human resources
Focus on Caribbean agriculture and industry to enable rapid adjustment to technological changes
Enable environment for development, exchange and effective use of technology
Ensure most cost-effective methods of acquiring and using technology developed and available within and outside the region
Preserve and enrich the cultural heritage of regions’ peoples

15. Regional Challenges to Technological Development
There is no enabling environment;
No national portfolio planning for research and development
Low levels of private and public sector investment in R&D
Low levels of venture capital;
School curricula bent on rote learning and weak in critical thinking;

16. Regional Challenges to Technological Development
An environment that stifles creativity
Limited information regarding patents, trademarks and copyright opportunities
General popular resistance to technological change
Net importers of science and technology leading to dependency

17. E-government readiness ranking in the Caribbean
Source: UN Global E-Government Readiness Report 2005

18. Conclusion Caribbean must address the implementation deficit
Cultural activists, policy makers, and researchers must now advocate and pressure Caribbean to implement
Cultural and creative industries as next frontier of development remains elusive
Bridging gaps and ‘disconnects’ between rhetoric and action supported by financing
Projectization model linked to strategic plans
Creative economy must be on national agendas
Shift and redirect national investment digital economy

19. Thank you!