A TALK WITH J. P. SARTRE: THE RISK OF SPONTANEITY AND THE LOGIC OF THE INSTITUTION
/in Cultural Policy, Forum /by Kcs21blAACULTURAL DECENTRALIZATION IN THE SOUTH-EUROPEAN CONTEXT
/in Cultural Policy /by Kcs21blAAThe process of decentralization is one of of the most sensitive processes within cultural policy. Some positive experiences inheritated from the previous periods are not regarded important or relevant for present day constitution of decentralized units. Consequently, they are designed according to present day political interests and priorities. According to the Croatian experiences from the last twenty years, number of regional units and especially those of municipalities and cities is too numerous and is not too favourable for cultural development. Though the country has approved the set of documents on decentralization, the former is a so called „paper decentralization“, because documents are not implementeted in practice.
THE INSTITUTIONAL BASIS OF SOCIO-CULTURAL LIFE OF THE VILLAGE
/in Cultural Policy, Themes /by Kcs21blAACULTURAL POLICY AND CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES OF FINANCING CULTURE: INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES AND SERBIA
/in Cultural Policy /by Kcs21blAAFinding an appropriate model of financing culture, which will largely meet the objectives of cultural policy, cultural needs and expectations of cultural community, does not mean making a definite choice of some of the existing concepts of financing culture. It means finding different combinations of organizational dimensions that correspond to the state tradition, socio-economic context, system of cultural institutions, relation between the state and culture, economic development etc. In the process of modelling an efficient system of financing culture the attention should be paid to both: the cultural and economic demands. The basic model of financing culture usually represents traditional practice that is difficult to change; reforms of the system of financing culture represent measures that have a prior corrective character, rather than radically changing pattern of financing culture. The paper discusses the various dimensions of relationship between the state and culture with a special attention paid to the genesis of financing culture. It will be examining different concepts of financing culture and socio-historical context of their emergence. The final paper section deals with historical context, current issues and perspectives of the financing culture in Serbia.
THE QUESTION OF CULTURAL POLICY AS A POLICY
/in Cultural Policy /by Kcs21blAAThe relationship between politics and culture in a multiparty representative democracy is in its very essence problematic. On the one hand there is the cultural sphere, stressing that culture and the arts must be independent and autonomous, even if – by force of circumstance – they are financially dependent on government. On the other hand, cultural policy as public policy cannot simply be excluded from the political system and delegated to the connoisseurs. The ruling policy which won the election has a democratic mandate to regulate public affairs – even in the field of culture. Due to the high specialization of social subsystems, which have become operationally closed organisms, there is an even greater threat of democratic deficit if politicians have to stay away from culture and arts. This attitude shakes the very foundations of democracy as a political form of government in which the governing power is derived from the people. A positive alternative to the arm’s length principle as an insulation of arts from politics, which potentially reduces the ability to attract and retain political support, should therefore be replaced by an arm-in-arm approach, i.e. a policy of interaction between the political authorities, professionals and citizens/users. This new deal should be based on inclusion in the political process (participative democracy) and the dialogue between them (deliberative democracy). The article proposes some elements that would enable this process.
The modern democratic formula is hidden in the winning combination of a strong state and strong civil society, where the magical balance between differentiation, politics and professionalisation is to be found. Only this balance can mutually neutralise the various dangers such as: differentiation with the unresolved problem of coordination and integration, politics that can change into partocracy, and professionalism that can succumb to opportunism and lead to technocracy. At the centre of this balance lies the need for re-affirmation of the public value of culture which presupposes its re-politisation.
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