The fulfilment of public policy goals often depends on the performance of public administration organisations responsible for their implementation. In this context, institutional interactions between political leaders and the administrative heads of public organisations impact policy implementation, namely through dynamic and complex balances between the preferences of each agent and the power of the negotiating parties. Our analysis of Portuguese cultural policies reveals that public organisations do not always maintain similar political-administrative relations with the governmental department overseeing them, even when their missions are alike. We compared the relations between the Portuguese Ministry of Culture and the administrations of two public organisations under that Ministry’s jurisdiction, responsible for the promotion of artistic creation and diversity, namely as financiers of the performing arts, visual arts and cinema subsectors. Although the Directorate-General for the Arts and the Cinema and Audiovisual Institute share similar statutory missions within the governmental framework, they exhibit contrasting patterns of administrative volatility and public tensions with their Ministry: the Directorate-General for the Arts shows a higher frequency of public tensions and over twice the number of administrative leaders holding office between 2000 and 2019, often serving shorter mandates and facing politically motivated dismissals. By examining the dynamics of political-administrative harmonies and tensions in these two cases, this article aims to identify dimensions that can contribute to explain the identified relational contrasts and assess their potential consequences for cultural policy implementation. Preliminary analysis suggests that governance processes may be influenced by factors such as legal status, organisational culture, financial autonomy (budget mechanisms and dependence on public funding), decision-maker profiles, vulnerability of the subsector to media controversies, and the institutional consolidation of each organization. Grounded in a conceptual framework which dialogues with political science and public administration literature, the empirical study employs qualitative methods, including content and thematic analysis of press articles, legislative documents and interviews to former ministers and heads of each organisation. The case study comparison focuses on the period between 2000 and 2019, covering multiple organisational reforms and political cycles. This article contributes to a deeper understanding of the causes and effects of political-administrative relations, aiming to improve governance models that enhance the implementation of cultural policies.

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cultural policy,political-administrative relations,governance,public administration,cultural organisations