Abstract

This paper aims to summarise the actions implemented in Puglia over the last decade to promote local development processes in the fields of culture, tourism and creativity. In order to provide the most exhaustive and representative summary of the wide and diverse range of actions put in place by the Apulia regional administration in the decade between 2005 and 2015, this paper focuses on four specific policies that widely reflect the effectiveness of regional actions aimed at ensuring social and economic development throughout the Puglia Region. The four selected case studies illustrate the processes begun and the impacts generated by the regional government in four main areas: the integrated territorial enhancement of natural and cultural resources (the creation of SACs, or «Environmental and Cultural Systems»), support policies for young people (the Bollenti Spiriti regional programme), promotion and support given to the cinema and audio-visual sectors (the Apulia Film Commission), and finally policies for the development of the Apulian music industry (Medimex and Puglia Sounds). These four policies - among others - have contributed greatly to the progressive establishment of the Puglia Region as one of the most interesting Italian regional administrations for its level of innovation and the effectiveness of the policies it has adopted - and the impacts they have generated - in fields of culture, creativity, social innovation and tourism.