Der ‚Blick hinter die Fassade‘
Ansätze einer Tiefenanalyse von Evaluationen im Museumssektor

Abstract

Starting point und purpose of the present paper is to link broad sociological and narrow instrumental perspectives in relation to evaluation practices in the cultural sector. By combining insights into a “sociology of valuation” and concepts of “neo-institutionalism” with the specific empirical framework of a certification system for museums in Lower Saxony and Bremen, the aim is to outline a possible research design for the in-depth analysis of formalized evaluation practices in the cultural sector. Modes of evaluation are thereby revealed to be far more versatile than is often assumed. Rather than desired professionalization or feared standardization, it instead appears that “we coexist in a world filled with standards but not in a standardized world.” In light of the current efforts being made toward achieving a “concept-based cultural policy” and “criteria-based cultural funding,” a differentiated examination of evaluation practices in the cultural sector appears to be a relevant area of research in the field of cultural administration.