- Title
- The Accountability of public museums in Portugal
- Creator
- Menezes, Carlos
- Date
- 2015
- Type
- Text; Thesis; PhD
- Identifier
- http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/97112
- Identifier
- vital:10180
- Identifier
- http://library.federation.edu.au/record=b2676918
- Abstract
- This research examines the historical development and current state of accountability practices in Portugal’s public museums, within the context of New Public Management (NPM) philosophies. The study addresses the following research questions: (1) What systems of accountability presently apply to Portugal's public museums? (2) What are the historical determinants of these systems and what has been the role of NPM? (3) Relative to the objectives and missions of the museums, what deficiencies are evident in the systems of accountability and how might these be redressed? New institutional theory, supplemented by the concepts of path dependency, practical drift and governmentality, provides the theoretical framework for examining the historical determinants of accountability practices, identifying the limitations of those practices, and proposing possible solutions. This study adopts an interpretative paradigm and an inductive reasoning approach. The research uses a case study approach based on the Portuguese Museums Network. The study combines quantitative, archival and qualitative (interviews) data. The survey was administered to directors and other people directly responsible for the management of public museums and yielded 220 usable responses. The analysis of archival data included historical documents available in the archives of museums, legislation, newspapers and historical books. Finally, 26 interviews were conducted with directors and other personnel from nine museums and six interviews were conducted with representatives from the central government and relevant professional associations. The findings show that present accountability systems in Portuguese public museums are hierarchical and frail and provide limited information for meaningful accountability evaluations. In addition, accountability has been influenced by historical path dependency, leading to museums being used as instruments of governmentality for controlling citizens, society and public organisations. The implementation of NPM and double entry bookkeeping are reflections of a process of institutional isomorphism that has led to a process of “double talking” and the adoption of practical drift situations. The accountability deficiencies identified – within the context of the missions and objectives of museums – lead to a set of recommendations to improve accountability in the sector. Managerial implications stemming from the study entail, for example, giving more managerial autonomy to the museums; periodically auditing the collections and their scope; and, producing new accounting rules that reflect and involve relevant stakeholders.; Doctor of Philosophy
- Publisher
- Federation University Australia
- Rights
- Copyright Carlos Menezes
- Rights
- Open Access
- Rights
- This metadata is freely available under a CCO license
- Subject
- Accountability; Historical determinants; Public museums; Portugal
- Full Text
- Thesis Supervisor
- West, Brian
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