A better governance of cultural institutions: the reform of state museums

This article is an account as much as possible complete of the activitiesimplemented by the author and of the results achieved in the three-year period(September 2017 – September 2020) while heading the Directorate-Generalof Museums under the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities(MIBACT). It is even a first opportunity to express his conviction, graduallyreached in these years, that the evolution of state museums can offer insightsto improve other areas of government intervention in culture. The significantsocial, cultural, and economic growth of reformed museums undoubtedly resultedeven from some experimental changes: a governance model inspired bythe private organisations, networks based on common quality standards sharedacross regions, provinces, and municipalities of the Italian Republic.The data and events in the last three years clearly outline how high-level,transparent selection procedures, greater autonomy for museum directors,relying on external experts when needed, and streamlining many procedurescan benefit museums as well as other cultural institutions. Municipal theatres,for example, or 'enti lirici' (Lyrical institutions in the form of foundations),large festivals, and orchestras; together with museums, they arealmost exclusively supported by public money.According to the data in the following pages, up until the beginning ofthe COVID-19 pandemic, the reformed state museums represented 27 billioneuros per year in revenue for the country (2018 data; this figure certainlyincreased in 2019). These revenues are the result of the related industriesof the more than 240 million euros per year spent by the millions oftourists who visit our country (in 2018, 24 million out of 123 milliontourists, i.e. one out of five, said their first reason for visiting Italy was wanting to see one or more state museums). During the three-year period,tourists represented only half of museum footfall: it is clear the significantgrowth of new museum visitors is represented by Italian citizens.In the current scenario and the still unclear pause for international masstourism we need to plan an alternative emergency financing system. Clearly,those museums and institutions that purposefully continue being state-ownedwill still need the State's support to guarantee their operating resources.Overall, considering the sector's social and economic impact, the preparationof a large part of younger generations (too often employed on precariousand underpaid contracts ), and the praiseworthy efforts made so far by thereform, a law should create a framework for a better governance in thecultural sector. A transversal, organic law for museums and every sector ofthe country's cultural policy would be desirable, considering the sector's essentialrole for the country's social and economic restart.