The most valued workers today are what the economist Richard Florida calls the Creative Class, skilled individuals ranging from money managers to make–up artists, software programmers to steady–cam operators who are in constant demand around the world. Florida's bestselling 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 US at a substantial dis–advantage.

理查德·弗罗里达

乔治梅森大学（George Mason University）公关政策学院的教授，布鲁金斯研究院的非常驻资深研究员，加人乔治梅森大学前，为卡内基梅隆大学海兹公关政策和管理学院（Heinz Sehool of Public Policy and Management）区域经济发展教授，现居华盛顿。他是畅销书《创意阶层的崛起》的作者，该书曾获《华盛顿月刊》（Washington Monthty）授予的政治图书奖（Political Book Award），并为《哈佛商业评论》（Haruard Bus-iness Reuiew）评为最具突破性的10个观念之一。