At the political level, two third of the municipalities (356 in Norway) hold independent cultural boards where matters of cultural policy are decided. In some municipalities, the board is combined with other political areas1. At the administrative level, approximately half of the municipalities holds a certain entity for culture policy administration.
The responsibilities of municipalities include self-defined initiatives and subsidies for local cultural activities, including shared responsibility for cultural institutions. However, the most important areas of local cultural policy includes local cultural schools (kulturskoler), public libraries as well as infrastructure for culture and sports.
From 2017 to 2020 a regional reform reduced the number of municipalities from 428 to 356. However, this reform has not led to any changes in the responsibility of the municipalities.
1 Miland, K. P., & Kleppe, B. (2022). Kommunal kultursektor 2022: Organisering, prioritering og planlegging. TF-rapport nr. 707:Bø.
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