Through a comparative historical analysis, this book shows the emergence, institutionalization and evolution of the cultural sector’s public policy in Argentina and Mexico, from 1983 to 2009. This dynamics of change is analysed by taking into account the socio-economic and political contexts, and by drawing on actors, cognitive representations, institutional frameworks and public policy instruments.

Elodie Bordat-Chauvin holds a PhD in political science (Institut d’Études Politiques d’Aix-en-Provence) and has been a researcher at CHERPA since 2014. Her research focuses on cultural policies in Mexico, Argentina and France. Her work has been published internationally, including in the and . She currently teaches cultural policy at Aix-Marseille University and comparative political science at Sciences Po Aix.

Contents: The First Public Actions in the Cultural Sphere – Different nation-building projects, different cultural actions – A dominant Mexican State, a dynamic Argentinian associative sector – Mobilization for the inclusion of culture on the agenda – Similar processes for the institutionalization of cultural policies? – The changes brought about by decentralization and the private sector’s participation – Cultural policies and transnationalization processes – Changes in actors, changes in representations? – The instrumental and institutional dimensions of change.