There has not been a direct re-allocation of public responsibilities for culture to the private sector; there are, however, clear signs of disinvestiture in culture by the state, due to the austerity programmes currently in operation. The Greek approach to decentralisation / privatisation has been based mostly on the implicit transfer of funding and operational responsibilities for arts development to regional and local government; in fact, except for works in archaeological sites and museums, which remain under the direct control of the Ministry exercised through the archaeological service, most other construction works and operational programmes relating to culture (such as the organisation of festivals) are now controlled and funded by regional administration and local government.
On the contrary, with only a few exceptions, in the interest of rationalisation the role of organisations operating under an arm’s length principle has been diminished, indicating a trend towards re-centralisation.
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