ABSTRACT
This chapter examines whether shared values across European contexts genuinely underpin cultural policies and institutional actions. It compares national and local case studies to assess the articulation, implementation, and coherence of values such as aesthetic freedom, democratization, and Bildung. While a convergence of cultural policy discourse is observed, significant inconsistencies emerge between stated values and practical governance due to political, financial, and structural constraints. This chapter highlights the growing influence of emerging values—equality, diversity, inclusion, and sustainability—within cultural institutions, which are reconfiguring their practices and identities. However, tensions persist between traditional cultural norms and newer, often externally imposed, value frameworks. Evaluation practices are found to be fragmented and frequently misaligned with the realities of institutions. Despite rhetorical emphasis, values often serve as post hoc legitimations rather than foundational principles and call for more coherent and participatory governance to ground cultural action in genuinely democratic values.
