Abstract

The cultural governance system in Germany, despite its complexity and traditional decentralisation, has not been spared from influences to be found elsewhere in Europe, including, but not limited to, demands for more inclusive or «socio-cultural» policies, on the one hand, and for more efficiency in public arts administration on the other hand. At present, the important role of state and local authorities in the financing of a fragmented infrastructure - as expressed in the notion of «Kulturstaat» - is not yet questioned, partly because of a still quite diversified cultural landscape and because of the high degree of autonomy enjoyed by artistic directors. However, regional and local cultural budgets are increasingly endangered by the after effects of the global financial crisis. Keeping this in mind, public arts institutions must look for new ways to uphold their legitimacy, e.g. through clear artistic profiles (that cannot be confused with commercial services) and through more interaction with the «culture public» at large.