Categorical space of creative sector research

The article provides a comprehensive theoretical and methodological analysis of the demarcation between key economic categories of the modern knowledge economy — creative business, cultural industries, creative industries, and the creative economy. The relevance of the study is determined by the need to unify the terminology used in domestic and international academic discourse, as well as to develop a clear hierarchical model for the effective management of the creative sector. Cultural industries are defined as the core of the creative sector, focused on preserving intangible cultural heritage, authenticity, and social value. Creative industries, in turn, are interpreted as an industrial cluster that employs creativity and intellectual property for commercialization and economic gain. Creative business is defined as a micro-level operational unit that directly sells the products and services of creative industries, transforming intellectual capital into a marketable form. At the highest level of the hierarchy is the creative economy — a systemic macro-category that integrates the cultural, informational, innovation, and digital sectors into a single meta-paradigm of development based on knowledge, technology, and human capital. It is emphasized that the development of the creative economy is not only an instrument of economic growth but also a factor of social cohesion, territorial branding, and post-war recovery. The creative economy is viewed as a comprehensive paradigm of post-industrial development, within which creative industries form a structural sector, cultural industries serve as its ideological core, and creative business functions as the operational mechanism of implementation. This systemic structure helps eliminate terminological ambiguity, create an integrated model for managing the creative sector, and lay the foundation for Ukraine’s integration into global knowledge-based and creative processes.