Roberta Comunian
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  • Writing
  • Bio
  • Research Projects
  • Beyond Academia
  • Talks
  • shared-cultural-leadership
Latest writings ...
Understanding and Supporting Creative Economies in Africa
Final Report
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FREE DOWNLOAD
Higher Education and Policy for Creative Economies in Africa
Developing Creative Economies
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​​Edited by Roberta Comunian, Brian J. Hracs , Lauren England
Developing Creative Economies in Africa
Spaces and Working Practices
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​Edited by Brian J. Hracs, Roberta Comunian,  and Lauren England
Comunian and England (2020)
​Creative and cultural work without filters: Covid-19 and exposed precarity in the creative economy
Free access article on Cultural Trends 
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 Comunian, R., England, L., Faggian, A., Mellander, C (2022) The Economics of Talent Human Capital, Precarity and the Creative Economy

Ashton, D and Comunian R (2019) Universities as Creative Hubs: Modes and practices in the UK context
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Comunian (2019) Complexity thinking as a coordinating theoretical framework for creative industries research
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All Peer-review Journals 

32.  Manfredi de Bernard, Roberta Comunian & Jonathan Gross (2021) Cultural and creative ecosystems: a review of theories and methods, towards a new research agenda, Cultural Trends, DOI: 10.1080/09548963.2021.200407     Pre-print version 
31.  England, L, Ikpe, E, Comunian, R & Kabir, AJ (2021), 'Africa Fashion Futures: creative economies, global networks and local development', Geography Compass. Working paper version here 
30. Brokalaki Z and Comunian R (2021) Beyond the hype: Art and the city in economic crisis, City, 25 (3-4), Available open access https://doi.org/10.1080/13604813.2021.1935766 
29. Kim S and Comunian  R (2020) Arts and the city in post-Soviet contexts: Policy pathways and interventions in urban cultural development in Kazakhstan, Journal of Urban Affairs, DOI: 10.1080/07352166.2020.182509  Working paper version
28. ​Brook, S., Comunian, R., Jewell, S. and Lee, J.Y., (2020). More than a day job, a fair job: music graduate employment in education. Music Education Research, pp.1-14. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14613808.2020.1840539  Working paper version
27. Comunian R and England L (2020) Creative and cultural work without filters: Covid-19 and exposed precarity in the creative economy, Cultural Trends, 29:2, 112-128, DOI: 10.1080/09548963.2020.1770577 Free access on Cultural Trends
26. Cudny, W., Comunian, R. and Wolaniuk, A., (2020). Arts and creativity: A business and branding strategy for Lodz as a neoliberal city. Cities, 100 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2020.102659 Download Working paper version
25. Comunian R. and L. England (2019), Creative clusters and the evolution of knowledge and skills: from industrial to creative glassmaking, Geoforum, 99 (2019): 238-247. journal / Download file
24. Malik, S., Chapain, C. and Comunian, R., (2017). Rethinking cultural diversity in the UK film sector: Practices in community filmmaking. Organization, 24(3), pp.308-329.

​23. Comunian R, (2017) Temporary clusters and communities of practice in the creative economy: festivals as temporary knowledge networks, 
Space and Culture, 20(3), pp.329-343.
22. Comunian R and Can Seng Ooi (2016)  Global aspirations and local talent: the development of Creative Higher Education in Singapore,   International Journal of Cultural Policy , Vol. 22, Issue 1 Link to Journal / Link to Pre-print version
21. Comunian R, A Gilmore and S Jacobi (2015) Higher education and the creative economy: creative graduates, knowledge transfer and regional impact debates, Geography Compass, 9 (7), 371-383
20. Comunian, R., Faggian A, S Jewell  (2015). "Digital technology and creative arts career patterns in the UK creative economy." Journal of Education and Work: 1-23. Link to Journal / Link to Working paper version
19. Faggian, A., Comunian, R., & Li, Q. C. (2014). Interregional migration of human creative capital: The case of “Bohemian graduates”. Geoforum, 55(0), 33-42. Link to Journal   / Link to Working paper version
18. Mould O. & R. Comunian (2014): Hung, Drawn and Cultural Quartered: Rethinking Cultural Quarter Development Policy in the UK, European Planning Studies, DOI: 10.1080/09654313.2014.988923 Link to Journal 
17. Comunian, R., Taylor, C., & Smith, D. N. (2014). The Role of Universities in the Regional Creative Economies of the UK: Hidden Protagonists and the Challenge of Knowledge Transfer. European Planning Studies, Volume 22, Issue 12, 
Link to Journal /  Link to Working Paper Version
16. Comunian, R., & Faggian, A. (2014). Creative Graduates and Creative Cities: Exploring the Geography of Creative Education in the UK. International Journal of Cultural and Creative Industries, 1(2), 19-34. Link to Journal download
15. Comunian, R., Faggian, A., & Jewell, S. (2014). Embedding arts and humanities in the creative economy: the role of graduates in the UK. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 32(3), 426-450.  Link to Journal   / Link to Working paper version
14. Comunian, R., & Mould, O. (2014). The weakest link: Creative industries, flagship cultural projects and regeneration. City, Culture and Society, 5(2), 65-74. Link to Journal / Link to Working Paper version
13. Faggian, A., Comunian, R., Jewell, S., & Kelly, U. (2013). Bohemian Graduates in the UK: Disciplines and Location Determinants of Creative Careers. Regional Studies, 47(2), 183-200.  Link to Journal / Link to Working Paper version
12. Comunian, Roberta. (2012) Uma cidade criativa de tipo relacional: Para uma cartografia das ligações em rede entre os setores público, privado e sem fins lucrativos nas indústrias criativas.Revista Crítica de Ciências Sociais 99: 99-124. Link to FREE Access Journal download 
11. Abreu, M., Faggian, A., Comunian, R., & McCann, P. (2012). “Life is short, art is long”: the persistent wage gap between Bohemian and non-Bohemian graduates. The Annals of Regional Science, 49(2), 305-321.  Link to Journal
10. Comunian R, A Faggian, S Jewell (2011), Winning and losing in the creative industries. An analysis of creative graduates’ career opportunities across creative disciplines, for the Special Issue “A Golden Age?” Reflections on New Labour’s Cultural Policy and its Post-Recession Legacy, Cultural Trends, Vol 20 (3-4), pp.291-308

9. Abreu M, A Faggian, R Comunian and P McCann (2011)  “Life is short, art is long”: From Bohemian graduates to the creative class, Special issue Annals of Regional Science

​8. Comunian R (2011) Rethinking the creative city: the role of complexity, networks and interactions in the urban creative economy, Urban Studies, Vol  48, pp. 1157-1179
7. Comunian R, A Faggian and Q C Li (2010) Unrewarded careers in the creative class: the strange case of Bohemian graduates, Papers in Regional Science,  Annals of Regional Science Vol  89 (2), pp.389 – 410

​6. Chapain C and R Comunian (2010) Enabling or Inhibiting the Creative Economy: the Role of the Local and Regional Dimension in England,  Regional Studies, Vol  44 (6), pp. 717 – 734 
5. Comunian R (2009) Questioning creative work as driver of economic development: the case of Newcastle-Gateshead, Creative Industries Journal, Vol. 2 (1), pp. 57-71
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4. Comunian R (2009) Towards A New Conceptual Framework for Business Investments in the Arts: Some Examples from Italy, The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, Vol. 39 (3), pp. 200-220
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3. Chapain C and R Comunian (2009) Creative cities in England: researching realities and images, in Built Environment, Vol. 35 (2), pp. 220-237
2. Comunian R (2006) Public Art e periferia in Gran Bretagna: tra Identità e Rigenerazione, Economia della Cultura, 3, pp. 303 – 318

​1. Comunian R and PL Sacco (2006) NewcastleGateshead: riqualificazione urbana e limiti della città creativa (NewcastleGateshead: urban regeneration and limits of the creative city), Archivio di Studi Urbani e Regionali, 87, pp. 5-34 
Link to Journal 

Edited Books
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Comunian, R Hracs, BJ, England L (2021) Higher Education and Policy for Creative Economies in Africa Developing Creative Economies, Routledge.

Clifton, N., Chapain, C. and Comunian, R. eds., 2017. Creative regions in Europe. Routledge.
Comunian R and A Gilmore (2016) Higher Education and the Creative Economy,  Beyond the Campus, Regions and Cities Series, Routledge
Malik S, Chapain C and Comunian R (2017) Community Filmmaking: Diversity, Practices and Places, Routledge 

Editorials

7. Comunian, R., D. Rickmers, and A.  Nanetti. 2020. "Guest editorial: The creative economy is dead – long live the creative-social economies."  Social Enterprise Journal 16 (2):101-119. Available Open Access 
6. Gilmore, A. & Comunian, R. 2016. Beyond the campus: higher education, cultural policy and the creative economy. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 22, 1-9. Free Access
5. Comunian, R., Chapain, C., & Clifton, N. (2014). Creative industries & creative policies: A European perspective? City, Culture and Society, 5(2), 51-53. Link to Journal / Link to Working Paper version
4. Comunian, Roberta, and Alessandra Faggian. "Higher education, human capital, and the creative economy." Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy 32.3 (2014): 381-383. Link to Journal / Link to Working Paper Version
3. Chapain, Caroline, Nick Clifton, and Roberta Comunian. "Understanding creative regions: bridging the gap between global discourses and regional and national contexts." Regional Studies 47.2 (2013): 131-134. FREE Access from Journal 

2. Comunian R, C Chapain and N Clifton (2011), Location, location, location: exploring the complex relationship between creative industries and place, Editorial to Special Issue of Creative Industries Journal, Vol  (1 & 2)


​1. Clifton N, C Chapain and R Comunian (2010) Guest editors of Regions ‘The Newsletter of the Regional Studies Association’ Special Issue on ‘Creative Regions’ n.277, Spring 2010, RSA: Seaford (UK)


​Book chapters

33.  Gross, J, Dent, T & Comunian, R (2021), Covid-19 and The Creative City: Lessons from the UK. in B Doucet, R van Melik & P Filion (eds), Global Reflections on Covid-19 and Urban Inequalities. Policy Press, Bristol. 179-188 https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/global-reflections-on-covid-19-and-urban-inequalities / Pre-print version
32. Comunian R and Jacobi S (2021) Growing Collaborative Creative Learning Spaces: the case of London School of Mosaic in eds F Montanari, E Mattarelli, and A C Scapolan "The collaborative turn. How collaborative spaces foster collaboration and creativity", London: Routledge. Draft working paper version
31. Comunian, R, England L and Hracs, B (2022) Cultural Intermediaries Revisited: Lessons from Cape Town, Lagos and Nairobi in Hracs, B. J., T. Brydges, T. Haisch, A. Hauge, J. Jansson and J. Sjoholm (Forthcoming) eds. ‘Culture, Creativity and Economy: Collaborative practices, value creation and spaces of creativity.’ Routledge, London Draft Working paper version
30. Brokalaki, Z., & Comunian, R. (2019). Participatory cultural events and place attachment A new path towards place branding? In W. Cudny (Ed.), Urban Events, Place Branding and Promotion: Place Event Marketing, Routledge. Working Paper version

29. Comunian R, (2019) Complexity thinking as a coordinating theoretical framework for creative industries research, in S Cunningham and Terry Flew (eds.) A research agenda for creative industries , Edward Elgar.  Working paper version 
​28. Ashton, D and Comunian R (2019), “Universities as Creative Hubs: Modes and practices in the UK context”, forthcoming In: R Gill, A. Pratt and T Virani, eds. Creative Hubs in Question: Place, Space and Work in the Creative Economy. Palgrave.  working paper
27. Ooi, CS and Comunian, R, (2019)The artrepreneurial ecosystem in Singapore: Enabling and inhibiting the creative economy, Routledge Handbook of Cultural and Creative Industries in Asia, Routledge, L Lim and H-K L (ed), London, pp. 57-71. working paper version
26.Comunian, R., & Jewell, S. (2018). ‘Young, Talented and Highly Mobile’: exploring creative human capital and graduates mobility in the UK. In New Frontiers in Interregional Migration Research (pp. 205-230). Springer, Cham. Download chapter 
 25. Brook, Scott, and Roberta Comunian (2018) "“Dropping Out and Working”: The Vocational Narratives of Creative Graduates." In The Palgrave Handbook of Creativity at Work, pp. 125-141. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham  Working paper version
24. Comunian, Roberta, and Lauren England. "14. Creative regions: from creative place-making to creative human capital." Handbook on the Geographies of Regions and Territories (2018): 169.
23. Comunian R, England L (2018)  The resilience of knowledge from industrial to creative clusters: the case of regional craft clusters in the West Midlands (UK), Hugo Pinto (ed) Edward Elgar   Download working paper version of the chapter
22. Comunian R and Conor B (2017) Making cultural work visible in cultural policy, in Durrer, Victoria , Toby Miller and Dave O’Brien (eds.) , "The Routledge Handbook of Global Cultural Policy" (Abingdon: Routledge), pp.265-280 download working paper version
21. Comunian R. (2016), ‘Creative Collaborations: the role of networks, power and policy’, in Shiach, Morag, and Tarek Virani, eds. Cultural Policy, Innovation and the Creative Economy: Creative Collaborations in Arts and Humanities Research. Springer, pp.231-244​ - download working paper version
20. Comunian R, Faggian A and S Jewell (forthcoming/2016) Graduates Migration in the UK: an exploration of gender dynamics and employment patterns in Corcoran J and Faggian A (eds) Where do smart people go? Graduate migration and regional development: an international perspective, Edward Elgar, New Horizons in Regional Science Series.
19. England L and Comunian R (2016) Support or Competition? Assessing the role of HEIs in professional networks and local creative communities: the case of glassmaking in Sunderland in Comunian R and Gilmore A (2016) Beyond the Campus: Higher Education and the Creative Economy, Routledge
18. Comunian R, Faggian A and S Jewell (2016/forthcoming) Geography, skills and careers patterns at the boundary of creativity & innovation: digital technology and creative arts graduates in the UK, In R Shearmur, C Carrincazeaux and D Doloreux (eds) Handbook on the Geography of Innovation.
17. Comunian R, Faggian A and S Jewell (2016) Talent on the move: Creative Human Capital Migration patterns in UK  in Comunian R and Gilmore A (forthcoming) Beyond the Campus: Higher Education and the Creative Economy, Routledge
16. Comunian R, Fraser-Ward L and S Jacobi (2016) Festivals on the High Street: revitalising business and communities in UK in Focus on World Festivals, in C Newbold and J Jordan (eds), Goodfellow Publishers
15. Comunian, R and Jacobi, S (2015), Resilience, creative careers and creative spaces: bridging vulnerable artist’s livelihoods and adaptive urban change, In Resilient territories: innovation and creativity for new modes of regional development, H Pinto (ed), Cambridge Scholars, 151-166
14. Comunian R and K Alexiou (2015) Mapping the Complexity of Creative Practice. In Cultural Mapping as Cultural Inquiry.  N Duxbury, W.F. Garrett-Petts, D MacLennan (eds.), 276-302   Pre-print version available here to download
13.  R. Perez Monclus, Comunian R and N. Wilson (2015) Rising to the King’s Cultural Challenge: Teaching and learning cultural entrepreneurship through a project-based competition in Teaching and Learning Cultural Entrepreneurship, A global comparative analysis of course and program content in university - and community-based education for the cultural and creative industries’. O Kuhlke, A Schramme and R Kooyman (eds) published by Eburon Academic Publishers & (Distributed in  North America through the University of Chicago Press), pp. 292-301  Link to Publisher / List of contents / Working paper version
12. Comunian, R and Faggian A (2015) Au carrefour entre créativité et capital humain : les diplômés bohèmes du Royaume-Uni in Christine LIEFOOGHE (ed) L'économie Créative Et Ses Territoires : Enjeux Et Débats, Presses Universitaires De Rennes, Rennes, pp.
11. Comunian, R  (2015) Le rôle des réseaux dans l'économie créative : dynamiques économiques vs. dynamiques socioculturelles  in Christine LIEFOOGHE (ed) L'économie Créative Et Ses Territoires : Enjeux Et Débats, Presses Universitaires De Rennes, Rennes, pp.
10. Comunian, R (2015)  Festivals as Communities of Practice: learning by doing and knowledge networks amongst artist  in Franco Bianchini, Christopher Maughan,  Jennie Jordan and Chris Newbold (eds) Focus on Festival: : Contemporary European Case Studies and Perspectives  Goodfellow, pp. 53-65
Working Paper version
Link to Publisher & Free Introduction download
9. Comunian, R. and Jacobi, S. (2015) Chapter 8: Resilience, creative careers and creative spaces: bridging vulnerable artist’s livelihoods and adaptive urban change" in Resilient territories: innovation and creativity for new modes of regional development, ed. H. Pinto, Cambridge Scholars, Cambridge,  pp. 145-160 Working Paper version 
8. Comunian, R. Faggian A and S. Jewell (2014) Exploring music careers: music graduates and early career trajectories in UK in Crossley, Nick, Siobhan McAndrew, and Paul Widdop, eds. Social Networks and Music Worlds. Routledge, 2014, pp. 165-188
Link to the Book Publisher / Link to Working Paper Version
7. Comunian, R., & Gilmore, A. (2014) “From knowledge sharing to co-creation: paths and spaces for engagement between higher education and the creative and cultural industries” in Annick Schramme, Rene Kooyman, Giep Hagoort (eds.) Beyond Frames
dynamics between the creative industries, knowledge institutions and the urban context,  Eburon Academic Press: Delft.
Link to Publisher / Link to Working Paper Version   Download the book Preface  
 6. Comunian, R., & Schiavon, C. (2013) RETI CREATIVE: RIGENERAZIONE URBANA E CULTURA DEL TERRITORIO NEL CONTESTO EUROPEO.
Annali del Dipartimento di Metodi e Modelli per l’Economia, Il Territorio e la Finanza 2012/2013 available online
 http://www.memotef.uniroma1.it/sites/dipartimento/files/RobertaComunian-ChiaraSchiavon_171-192.pdf   PDF 
5. Comunian R (2012) Exploring the role of networks in the creative economy of North East England: economic and cultural dynamics,  in Encounters and Engagement between Economic Cultural Geography (edited by Barney Warf), Springer, pp.143-157 Link to the Book Publisher /  Link to Working Paper Version
4. Comunian R (2012), Creative networks: complexity, learning and support across creative industries, in On the Entrepreneurial Principles of the Cultural and Creative industries (edited by Giep Hagoort, Aukje Thomassen, Rene Kooyman), Eburon Academic Press, Delft, pp.62-69
3. Comunian R and A Faggian (2011) Higher Education and the Creative City Book Chapter in Handbook on Cities and Creativity (edited by C Mellander, A Andersson and D Andersson), E. Elgar
2. Comunian R (2009) Challenging the creative city: the role of local identity, networks and support in the creative economy. In: Benneworth P and Hospers G J (Eds) The Role of Culture in the Economic Development of Old Industrial Regions, Lit Verlag: Munich
1. Comunian R (2006) Il caso inglese: analisi delle best practices nell’ambito del fundraising per la cultura in Gran Bretagna (trans: ‘Arts and Cultural fundraising in Great Britain) in Il fundraising per la Cultura (Arts and Cultural fundraising), edited by Meltemi and The Fundraising School, Bologna

BOOK REVIEWS
Comunian R (2013) Cultural Region – North east England 1945-2000, by Natasha Vall for Cultural Trends Vol 1, 22 (1), 60-62
Comunian R (2011) Urban Regeneration in UK, by Phil Jones and James Evans,  for Growth and Change, Volume 42, Issue 4, pages 674–676, December 2011
Comunian R (2011) Beyond Creative Production Networks by Doreen Jakob in Journal of Regional Science, Volume 51, Issue 2, pages 420–421, May 2011
Comunian R (2010) Creative Economies, Creative Cities, Asian European Perspectives edited by Lily Kong and Justin O'Connor, in Journal of Cultural Economics, Volume 34, Number 2, 147-150,
Comunian R (2009) The digital economy; Business organization, production processes, and regional developments by Edward J Malecki and Bruno Moriset for European Spatial Research and Policy, Vol. 2, p.122
Comunian R (2008) The Politics of Cultural Work by Mark Banks, for Economia della Cultura, Vol. 1, p.132
Comunian R (2008) A Sociology of Globalization by Saskia Sassen for Economic Geography Research Group, www.egrg.org.uk/bkreview.html
Comunian (2008) Creative Regions: Technology, Culture and Knowledge Entrepreneurship edited by Philip Cooke and Dafna Schwartz for Economic Geography Research Group, www.egrg.org.uk/bkreview.html

OTHER PUBLICATIONS
Malik, S., Chapain, C. & Comunian, R. Sep 2014 Spotlight on Community Filmmaking: A report on Community Filmmaking and Cultural Diversity Research  Published by Brunel University, the University of Birmingham and Kings College London, UK. Link to online download
Comunian  R (2011) Social network analysis, Regional Insights, Volume 2, Issue 2 Autumn 2011 p. 3 ISSN 2042-9843 Download here
Comunian R (2010) Knowledge and business engagement networks in the Maritime Studies University Strategic Research Group, University of Southampton, Report prepared as part of the Employer Engagement Initiative at the University of Southampton, ePrint ID  176235 ISBN 9780854329205
Chapain C and R Comunian (2011) Dynamics and differences across creative industries in the UK: exploring the case of Birmingham. REDIGE, Vol. 2, No.2  Special Edition on the Creative Economy
Comunian R (2008) Culture Italian style: business and the arts. Journal of Business Strategy, 29, (3), pp. 37-44
Comunian R (2008) Surfing the Wave of Culture, in Business First – The best of Business in the South East, Vol. 1, n. 2, pp. 35-36
Comunian R and D N Smith (2008) Comment & Debate: Exploring Knowledge Transfer in the Arts and Humanities, Regions, Newsletter of the Regional Studies Association. Spring,  No. 269, p.4
Comunian R (2007) The role of public support in building a cultural economy: the case of Newcastle-Gateshead and the North-East of England, Regions, Newsletter of the Regional Studies Association, Summer 2007, pp.16-18
 Comunian R (2007) Urban branding and contemporary art ‘Torino Contemporanea’ as a model of cultural marketing Regions. Newsletter of the Regional Studies Association, Winter 2007, pp.15-17 

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