It Takes a Village: A Test of the Creative Class, Social Capital and Human Capital Theories

Urban Affairs Review, January 2009

31 Pages Posted: 10 Dec 2008

See all articles by Michele Hoyman

Michele Hoyman

University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill - Department of Political Science

Christopher Faricy

University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill - Department of Political Science

Date Written: December 9, 2008

Abstract

Richard Florida in The Rise of the Creative Class introduced one of the most widely adopted urban growth strategies in decades. However, scholars have found little theoretical support for the connection between the creative class and economic development. This article empirically tests the creative class theory as compared to the human and social capital models of economic growth. Our results demonstrate that the creative class is not related to growth, whereas human capital is a good predictor of all economic growth and development measures. We found mixed results for social capital although it outperformed all models in predicting average wage.

Keywords: creative class, economic development, economic growth

JEL Classification: O1

Suggested Citation

Hoyman, Michele and Faricy, Christopher, It Takes a Village: A Test of the Creative Class, Social Capital and Human Capital Theories (December 9, 2008). Urban Affairs Review, January 2009 , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1313563

Michele Hoyman (Contact Author)

University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill - Department of Political Science ( email )

361 Hamilton Hall
CB#3265
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
United States

Christopher Faricy

University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill - Department of Political Science ( email )

361 Hamilton Hall
CB#3265
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
2,263
Abstract Views
13,189
Rank
12,264
PlumX Metrics