Cultura Viva - tensions between the inclusion of new actors in cultural policies and its administrative instruments

Abstract

This research's object is Cultura Viva, the cultural policy that originated the so called "points of culture". By the selection of purposes through public notice and direct public financing, this policy tried to introduce new actors in the arena of cultural policy, expanding it beyond experiences linked to high culture or the market. One of the main problems existing in its implementation, though, concerns the juridical and administrative structure which regulates the relation between the state and the beneficiarie organizations, which generates a number of problems in the rendering of accounts. From this, our first hypothesis is that the form of the agreement adopted restrain the full realization of the inclusive finality of the policy, making that only those institutions with greatest administrative capacity and previous experience of interaction with the state and\or the market present no difficulty in the rendering of accounts. The second hypothesis is that an alternative form of regulation would reduce these problems, which will be worked through the experience of the points of culture connected to the state's secretary of culture, which are governed by awards. To verify them, we will apply a questionnaire to all points of culture of the state of São Paulo, in order to profile their proposing institutions with respect to their bureaucratic structure, making it possible to compare them based on the categories of the ones who presented or not problems on the rendering of accounts. These same categories will enable us to evaluate also to what extent the relationship is modified in the case of those linked to the secretary of culture, compared to those in direct agreement with the Ministry of Culture. In this way, we not only reveal the tension between the priority target of the policy and its management tools, but also propose possible solutions, from a dialogue with the stakeholders.