Italian government's 'catch-all' approach devalues culture

Stefano Monti, writing for Artribune, critiques the Italian government's proliferation of cultural capital titles (Capitale della Cultura, Capitale del Libro, Capitale della Cultura Mediterranea, Capitale dell'Arte Contemporanea) as a 'catch-all' (asso pigliatutto) strategy that distributes resources without fostering genuine cultural growth. Monti argues that the government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, has claimed credit for exposing the supposed left-wing dominance in Italian cultural institutions, including universities and media. He predicts upcoming reforms targeting universities and a 'total rebranding' of cultural bodies, such as renaming the FUS (Fondo Unico per lo Spettacolo) to FUCS (Fondo Unico per la Creatività e lo Spettacolo) and ICC (Industrie Culturali e Creative) to ICC (Italia – Cultura e Creatività). Monti contends that these changes are superficial, leaving structural issues like bureaucratic inefficiency and lack of accountability untouched. The article was published on Artribune in April 2023.