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NATIONAL CENTER FOR POLICY ANALYSIS
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| Italy Considers Privatizing Its Art Galleries |
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When Italy's minister of culture, Giuliano Urbani, proposed last fall opening the state's cultural-heritage sector to private management, he raised a mighty ruckus. Some 37 of the world's most powerful museum directors signed a petition calling it a dangerous scheme.
- But since 1993, the private sector has been active in Italian museums and archeological sites -- running concessions for ticketing, bookstores, cafes, merchandizing and other services.
- In the process, Italy's cultural heritage has been modernized -- with long-shut museums being opened, hours being extended, tax incentives being created for arts patrons and reforms in the arts ministry.
- Privatization makes particular sense in Italy, which doesn't have the endowments that keep their American counterparts afloat.
- Taking privatization a step further would provide additional benefits -- since museum directors do not have the power to hire or allocate their own staffs and face an antiquated job structure made up almost entirely of guards.
Source: Frederika Randall, "Privatize the Arts in Italy? Egads!" Wall Street Journal, February 14, 2002.
For more on Privatization Innovations
http://www.ncpa.org/iss/pri
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Copyright © 2002 National Center for Policy Analysis - All rights reserved.
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