Regional Development Agencies are charged with improving regional economic performance and identifying strategies for achieving that aim. 

In the context of the South East of England, this paper asks how can culture contribute to improving regional economic performance?   

It argues that:

• Culture, and the creative industries into which culture elides,  forms a sector that generates economic returns;
• Cultural activity stimulates economic activity in other sectors; and
• Culture produces a wide range of social effects that in turn contribute to economic activity, and are beneficial for other reasons.