ABSTRACT
Governance is not a brand new issue for cultural organizations. Management by public administrations alone or by private or third sectors has been a real question for a long time in France. The main purpose during the 1960-1970s in France was to give cultural leadership to citizens in association with public authorities, but also to let artistic choices be made by professionals. The main category of cultural associations is the one adopted by groups of citizens for specialized or general activities. In the case of a business or of a non-profit organization, governance relates to consistent management, cohesive policies, guidance, processes and decision-rights for a given area of responsibility. This means that local policies have to contain the effects of the liberal economy which deals with governance at international and national scales. The legitimacy of these associations was not strong at first in terms of democracy because voluntary administrators were co-opted before enlargement by elections among members.
