
Context — Strengthening Culturally-Based Creative Products
The Government of Indonesia, through the Ministry of Trade, is placing significant emphasis on the development of the creative economy, particularly products that showcase local and traditional culture as their core value. To support this, the government recognized the need for:
- A clear definition of culturally-based creative products
- A standardized assessment instrument
- In-depth qualitative analysis
These tools are essential to shape effective policy-making that promotes and protects Indonesia’s cultural heritage through the creative economy.
What We Did — Standardizing Definitions and Assessments
Indonesia’s creative economy is diverse, and various ministries apply different definitions to creative products.
To address this, Cothink conducted a comprehensive study that included:
- Mapping existing definitions through secondary research
- Collecting expert insights to refine and unify the definition of local creative products
- Developing a quantified assessment instrument that translates the unified definition into measurable criteria
This tool enables a standard scoring system that can be applied across sectors to support data-driven policy decisions.
Result — A Practical Tool for Policy and Industry
The final output of this initiative was the Creative Products Assessment Survey Tool, a structured instrument that:
- Simplifies and standardizes the evaluation process of creative products in the market
- Reduces subjectivity and bias in product assessments typically done by expert panels
- Enables a more systematic, transparent, and practical approach to identifying and prioritizing culturally-based creative products
This tool equips policymakers with a reliable foundation to strengthen the creative economy through clearer, evidence-based strategies.