The Flight of the Creative Class

By: Richard Florida

Narrated by: Mark Boyett

The most valued workers today are what the economist Richard Florida calls the Creative Class, skilled individuals ranging from money managers to makeup artists, software programmers to steadycam operators, who are in constant demand around the world.

Florida's best-selling The Rise of the Creative Class identified these workers as the source of economic revitalization in American cities. In that book, he shows that investment in technology and a civic culture of tolerance (most often marked by the presence of a large gay community) are the key ingredients to attracting and maintaining a local creative class. In The Flight of the Creative Class, Florida expands his research to cover the global competition to attract the Creative Class.

The United States was, up until 2002, the unparalleled leader in creative capital. But several key events - the Bush administrations emphasis on smokestack industries, heightened security concerns after 9/11, and the growing cultural divide between conservatives and liberals - have put the U.S. at a substantial disadvantage.

Download the accompanying reference guide.©2007 Richard Florida (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Florida remains an astute observer of what makes economic communities tick, and he's sure to generate just as much public debate on this new twist on brain drain." (Publishers Weekly)

“Policy makers and independent professionals alike must quickly take Florida’s argument aboard--and, just as quickly, act.” (Tom Peters)