Autonomy or democratic cultural policy: that is the question

Abstract

This article argues that the concept of democracy, i.e. a political system that reflects the will of the people either directly or through representatives, is never or very seldom emphasised as an essential value in cultural policy debates or in cultural policy research. Instead the concept of autonomy is often put forward as the principal value when cultural policies are debated. Autonomy is central to many democratic theories and in cultural matters it is often described as the arm’s length principle. In this article, I will lean on institutional theories to discuss and explain why democracy in the classical sense never has been put forward as an important value and why autonomy usually is. I will also undertake a critical examination of the autonomy concept, as it has been defined in cultural policy.

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