Creative Industries in the EU-27 Intersectoral Network: A Relatedness-Based Input–Output Analysis

Abstract

Both researchers and policymakers increasingly recognize the importance of creative industries within the broader economy. While previous studies have primarily examined their innovation activities and knowledge diffusion through labor mobility and relatedness, considerably less attention has been devoted to their structural position within intersectoral production networks. This study examines the structural embeddedness of creative industries in the EU-27 by constructing weighted directed relatedness networks from aggregated input–output tables for 2010 and 2022. The findings show that creative industries occupy highly connected and structurally central positions within European production networks, suggesting that they may support coordination during value-chain adjustment and economic adaptation. Creative industries also maintain strong relationships with education, scientific research and development, information and communication, and professional service sectors, highlighting their integration within knowledge-intensive economic activities. The study further reveals a pronounced disassortative network structure, indicating that highly connected sectors tend to be linked to less-connected industries. By shifting the analytical perspective from spatial concentration to structural embeddedness, the study contributes to the relatedness and creative industries literature through an input–output network framework that provides new insights into the organization of European production networks.