Introduction: How to Manage Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis

During the actual crisis period, cultural organizations must be able to achieve their mission, which consists in preserving and enhancing public cultural heritage, by managing a shrinking budget. Moreover, because of the public value and utility of the service provided, they have to “learn” how to combine the criteria of sociability, with economy and infra-intergenerational equity ones. Consequently, cultural organizations get engaged in processes of “managerialization” as well as the other organizations operating, in various legal forms, within the entire public sector. From these standpoints, this first chapter aims at introducing the cultural heritage management issues in times of crisis, under the New Public Management and the Governance frameworks.