Public Governance of Arts Organisations in Sweden: Strategic Implications

The governmentality and accountability of UK national museums and art galleries

“…(Carnegie & Wolnizer, 1996, pp. 84-90;Christiansen & Skaerbaek, 1997); the effects of public sector reforms on public governance and management of art organisations (Lindqvist, 2007(Lindqvist, , 2012; 'the role of calculative practices' in reconciling conflicting cultural and managerial values and guiding parties towards census and productive actions (Mikes & Morhart, 2016;Tlili, 2014); the importance and usefulness of technological "knowledge of how to do things, how to accomplish goals…in such areas as administration and communication, marketing and product" (Rentschler & Potter, 1996, p. 101); and, the pedagogical "role of language and power" in business plans as a mechanism to direct and control art organisations (Oakes , Townley, & Cooper, 1998, p. 257). Oakes , et al (1998) use a Bourdieusian theoretical lens to examine the role of language and power in controlling museums and cultural heritage sites in Alberta, Canada.…”

“…It illustrates how governmentality mechanisms created knowledge about MAGs, and the power-effects of governmentality mechanisms. Second, whilst prior studies have examined issues related to the governance, accountability and financial reporting of art organisations in specific countries (Caldwell, 2002;Carnegie & Wolnizer, 1996;Ellwood & Greenwood, 2016;Lindqvist, 2007;Oakes & Oakes, 2016), this study makes an empirical contribution through its focus on UK national MAGs which are unique in terms of their funding structure and political accountability.…”

Museum finances: challenges beyond economic crises

“…The impossibility for public authority museums to 'roll over' a surplus from one fiscal year to the next, for example, makes long-term balancing of finances difficult (Lindqvist 2007). Furthermore, frequent change of principals, such as board members or governing politicians has proved sometimes to have a negative effect on long-term governance of museums, as individual politicians and board members have differing views on the purpose and objectives of even individual museums.…”

“…Museums reduce or rationalise services as a result of reductions in income. However, the political demand for more formal control of agencies has meant that a redistribution of personnel resources takes place inside museums towards controlling and reporting (Lindqvist 2007). Political lobbyism is perhaps the strongest strategic tool that a museum management possesses, but it is a long-term strategy and is sensitive to changes in political priorities.…”

“…The costs 5 and expenses of museums are often linked to the material assets in the form of collections, and tend to increase with time, including costs for conservation and preservation. The increasing public support to European museums in the last decades correlates with an increase in costs for facilities and security in the same time period (Babbidge 2000;Lindqvist 2007). Overall, governments and other funders today demand more access to museum services for the public, as a condition for support.…”