European inventory of
societal values of culture

Kawashima - Planning for Equality?

Kawashima, N. (2004) Planning for Equality? Decentralisation in Cultural Policy. Coventry, UK: University of Warwick, Centre for Cultural Policy Studies

This paper examines the theoretical and practical issues related to ‘decentralisation’ in cultural policy, with a particular focus on the British experience. It consists of three major parts, in which each of the following is developed:
• a conceptual framework for the discussion of ‘decentralisation’ in the context of cultural policy (Part 1);
• the examination of decentralisation in British cultural policy (Part 2);
• the analysis of the problems which decentralisation in British cultural policy has experienced (Part 3);
This report aims to provide different readerships with:
• concepts and theories on decentralisation which are applicable to cultural policy of many nations as well as of Britain, to be used for discussion by officers in cultural policy making and decision-makers in cultural institutions, and also by researchers and students of cultural policy (Part 1 & 3);
• a comprehensive documentation of the practical problems and institutional issues in decentralisation policy implementation which British cultural policy has been experiencing, which may be of particular relevance to practitioners in Britain (Part 2);
• some of the problems in cultural policy with wider implications for public policy and administration in Britain, which may be of interest for researchers in politics and public administration (Part 3).