Cultural heritage policies: a new framework for our past

Abstract eng:
The concept of cultural heritage has gone through changes that have introduced a new way of conceiving it as a ‘resource for sustainable development and quality of life in a constantly evolving society’ (Council of Europe, 2005a: 2). Hence, cultural heritage is not only important in itself but also for the ‘contribution it can make to other policies’ (Council of Europe, 2005b: 2). Cultural heritage policies, thus, increasingly consider the interrelation between the economy, society, and culture. In fact, often, cultural heritage policies are devised as instruments to reach other scopes: boost tourism, stimulate the construction industry, create jobs in a moment of economic recession, and foster social inclusion. The economic crisis of 2008, with the public budget cuts and private donations reduction that have followed, has implied for many countries the need to find new ways to finance cultural heritage or to reorganise cultural heritage institutions, in order to reduce and/or rationalize costs. This work aims at providing an illustration of the way cultural heritage policies are designed and implemented in several countries. It will consider the objectives, the institutions responsible for policies implementation and the way implementation takes place, i.e. the tools used for it. Special attention is devoted to highlight those changes connected to the shift in the way of conceiving cultural heritage and to the economic crisis.

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