In the context of its autonomisation as a political sector, the organisational structure of the entities under central supervision of Culture in Portugal has been reconfigured by multiple legislative reforms, impacting their formal autonomy. The compilation of the legal diplomas (organic laws) that shaped these organisations in the democratic period, between 1974 and 2022, allows for a longitudinal analysis of this sector’s central state administration. This article identifies phenomena and trends (organic concentration and deconcentration, prevalence of legal statutes, transfers of competences and legislative instability), analyses the possible causes of their evolution and problematises the implications for the autonomy of the organisations. As relevant agents in the policy implementation, the analysis of these public administration bodies's statutes may impact future reforms and legislative designs, as well as cultural policy as whole.

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Cultural policy,cultural organisations,public administration reforms,organisational autonomy