ESPM creates index of the most creative cities in Brazil 

ESPM, one of the most respected business schools in the country and a reference in marketing, launches the  Creative Economy Potential Development Index – IDPEC, a methodology that estimates the economic growth potential of Brazil's 26 capital cities and the Federal District based on businesses linked to the so-called Creative Economy. The research used the min-max method to compare cities on a scale of 0 to 1. The index's launch is part of ESPM Rio's 50th anniversary celebrations. 

Created by the Professional Master's Program in Creative Economy, Strategy, and Innovation (MPECEI), the index uses data from the last eight years. In this first ranking, Florianópolis, the capital of Santa Catarina, appears as the capital best prepared to develop creative businesses and benefit economically from the creation of companies linked to activities such as fashion, audiovisual, film, software, games, events, among others. Next are Vitória, in Espírito Santo, and Curitiba, in Paraná. Rio de Janeiro ranked 19th overall, with São Paulo in fourth. 

"The index is a tool that can significantly aid in public policy planning and help Brazilian cities prepare to take the lead in this area and make the creative economy one of their major growth drivers," says João Luiz de Figueiredo, coordinator of the Postgraduate Program in Creative Economy, Strategy, and Innovation at ESPM (PPGECEI). A recent study by the National Confederation of Industry (CNI) shows that companies linked to the creative economy are expected to create 1 million additional jobs in Brazil by 2030. Globally, according to UNESCO, the creative economy generates an annual income of US$2.2 billion for professionals involved in its activities.  

The quantitative study evaluates the capitals based on three main dimensions: Human Capabilities, which brings the effects of education on the development of the Creative Economy, Spatial Attractiveness and Connectivity, which examines creative cities as attractive and connected spaces, and Cultural Environment and Creative Entrepreneurship, on the importance of cultural activities for the growth of the creative economy.

In each dimension, some variables are considered. In Human Capabilities, for example, the following aspects were analyzed: People with Higher Education, Quality of Basic Education e Municipal Public Budget in Education. In this category, in the People with Higher Education variable, Florianópolis also leads the ranking, with the highest percentage (39.1%) of people with higher education. Next come Vitória and Brasília. Rio de Janeiro ranks fourth, and São Paulo ranks eighth. 

In the evaluation of basic education in the public network of the capitals, Curitiba has the best performance with a score of 4.9, followed by Goiânia (4.8) and Teresina (4.6). Rio de Janeiro occupies the last position, with 3.2. And regarding municipal public spending per capita in education (per inhabitant of the city), Vitória appears first, with an investment of R$1,851.93, followed by Brasília with R$1,784.99 and by Palmas, in Tocantins, with R$1,742.96. 

In the dimension Spatial Attractiveness and Connectivity, the variables were selected Urban Security, Digital Connectivity, and Air Connectivity, which point to creative cities as spaces of great attractiveness and spatial connectivity, resulting in economic dynamism and social and cultural diversity of the territories. 

The question Urban Security considers the homicide rate per 100,000 people. The city with the worst rate is Recife (79.35) and the one with the best is Florianópolis (15.49). Digital Connectivity is assessed based on the density of fixed broadband internet access, which represents the number of subscribers per 100 inhabitants. The southern region of the country stands out in the ranking, with Florianópolis – once again – leading with 50.6 points, followed by Curitiba with 42.5 and Porto Alegre with 41.2. The indicator Air Connectivity considers the number of air passengers per capita, based on the sum of departures and arrivals at commercial airports in each capital city. Vitória comes first (8.37), followed by Florianópolis (7.57) and Recife (5.44). 

The dimension Cultural Environment and Creative Entrepreneurship takes into account the importance of cultural activities. This importance is measured based on three criteria. The first is Municipal Public Budget for Culture, which shows the capital's investment in culture per capita. Recife comes first (R$120.46). The second item is  Entrepreneurship, which evaluates the city based on the net rate of business creation per capita, with Florianópolis having the highest rate (0.025), followed by Cuiabá (0.0176). The third is Municipal Governance Index (IMG), which considers finance and management data, and brings Curitiba to first place in the ranking with 7.79 points, followed by Belo Horizonte (7.45) and Salvador (7.06). 

Check out the index of the ten cities with the greatest potential for growth based on businesses linked to the creative economy:

IDPEC 2023

1- Florianópolis (SC) – 0.91

2- Vitoria (ES) – 0.83

3- Curitiba (PR) – 0.76

4- Sao Paulo (SP) – 0.72

5- Brasilia (DF) – 0.71

6- Palmas (TO) – 0.66

7- Goiânia (GO) – 0.66

8- Belo Horizonte (MG) – 0.62

9- Porto Alegre (RS) – 0.61

10 – Cuiabá (MT) – 0.60