ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the evaluation of cultural policies as direct intervention. It investigates the evolution of ten years of cultural policies in Bologna after its nomination as the European Capital of Culture for the year 2000. An analysis of cultural policies characterizing Bologna after the 2000 nomination must stem from the city's political situation during that period. Over the last decade, Bologna has had four different city councils, including a period under central government administration. The rhetorical nature of cultural policy that appears is hardly an idiosyncratic element: indeed the ambiguity in language and the lack of commitment seems to be a way to distract attention from the inner conflicts between humanists and different cultural professionals. Indeed, the less optimistic view of the Bologna case compared to the prevailing literature on art cities could be linked to specific contextual elements. Surely the lack of continuity in the coalition running the Municipality was part of the problem.
