Cultural Heritage between Centralization and Decentralization. Insights from the Italian context

The paper revisits the debates on the transformation of the Italian cultural heritage in the last decade. After identifying and reviewing the most significant aspects of the reform (outsourcing, devolution, managerialization and privatization), the authors propose a framework for better understanding the nature of the different solutions discussed, distinguishing between professional and organizational centralization. It is suggested that while direct forms of managing could be transferred with positive impact on the sector (organizational decentralization) a special kind of centralization, i.e. professional control through a complex set of rules of stewardship and preservation, is a positive element to preserve in the reforms of the sector, a driver of the anomalous preservation itself of the Italian cultural heritage over centuries.