Public Policy and Political Dynamics of Heritage Conservation in the United States

Policy making and advocacy efforts throughout the legislative history of heritage conservation display the gaps in heritage conservation in the United States. To represent the political dynamics at the federal level in both intangible and tangible cultural heritage policy discussions, this article will examine cases of legislative processes: the policy discussions to amend the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) in 1997 and 2005 and the reauthorization of the American Folklife Center (AFC). The study will focus on the subgovernment framework in heritage policy to demonstrate institutionalization of policy discussion and review the intergovernmentalism and decentralization in heritage conservation.