COMPARATIVE RESEARCH INTO THE MUSEUM GOVERNANCE SYSTEMS OF NATIONAL MUSEUMS IN THE UK AND TAIWAN Shin-Chieh Tzeng A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of St. Andrews 2009 Full metadata for this item is available in the St Andrews Digital Research Repository at: https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/ Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10023/768 This item is protected by original copyright Comparative Research into the Museum Governance Systems of National Museums in the UK and Taiwan Museum and Gallery Studies School of Art History University of St Andrews Supervisor: Professor Ian Carradice PhD candidate: Shin-chieh Tzeng April, 2009 I, Shin-chieh Tzeng, hereby certify that this thesis, which is approximately 79,687 words in length, has been written by me, that it is the record of work carried out by me and that it has not been submitted in any previous application for a higher degree. I was admitted as a research student in September, 2003 and as a candidate for the degree of PhD in September, 2004; the higher study for which this is a record was carried out in the University of St Andrews between 2003 and 2009. date …… signature of candidate ……… I hereby certify that the candidate has fulfilled the conditions of the Resolution and Regulations appropriate for the degree of ……… in the University of St Andrews and that the candidate is qualified to submit this thesis in application for that degree. date …… signature of supervisor ……… In submitting this thesis to the University of St Andrews we understand that we are giving permission for it to be made available for use in accordance with the regulations of the University Library for the time being in force, subject to any copyright vested in the work not being affected thereby. We also understand that the title and the abstract will be published, and that a copy of the work may be made and supplied to any bona fide library or research worker, that my thesis will be electronically accessible for personal or research use unless exempt by award of an embargo as requested below, and that the library has the right to migrate my thesis into new electronic forms as required to ensure continued access to the thesis. We have obtained any third-party copyright permissions that may be required in order to allow such access and migration, or have requested the appropriate embargo below. The following is an agreed request by candidate and supervisor regarding the electronic publication of this thesis: Access to Printed copy and electronic publication of thesis through the University of St Andrews. date …… signature of candidate …… signature of supervisor ……… Contents Contents Abstract i Acknowledgements ii Chapter One Introduction 1 Context 1 Motivation 5 Objectives 7 Scope 8 Structure 10 Chapter Two The Development of Museums in the UK and 13 Taiwan The Development of Museums in the UK 15 The Development of Museums in Taiwan 23 A Comparison of Two Countries 33 Summary: Museums in the Changing World 38 Chapter Three Theoretical Review: What is Governance? 40 What is Governance? 40 Theories of Corporate Governance 49 The Third Way: Dutch Experience of Autonomy in National 58 Museums and Museum Services in the 1990s Summary 60 Chapter Four Comparing: Museum Governance of National 62 Museums in the UK and Taiwan Introduction 62 Definition of Museum Governance 64 Historical Review of Museum Governance 71 Analysis of Governance of National Museums in Both Countries 86 Contents Chapter Five A Preliminary Model of Museum Governance 99 Factors That Influence Museum Governance 99 Interaction Between Influential Factors 106 Creation of a Suitable Model 116 Summary 125 Chapter Six Fieldwork: Methodological Design 127 Research Design 127 Defining Research Problems 128 Selecting Research Methods 129 Selecting Cases 138 Process of Data Collecting 148 Chapter Seven Background Analysis of Cases 150 An Overview 150 Three Cases in the UK 150 Three Cases in Taiwan 163 Summary 172 Chapter Eight Research Analysis and Findings 175 Data Collecting Process 175 Research Results and Findings 178 Chapter Nine Conclusion: Creating a New Model 255 The Transforming Age 257 Theoretical Investigation: A New Model of Museum Governance 260 Reality Check: Research Practice with Both Old and New Systems 264 The Future: Bridging Theory and Reality 274 Future Suggestions 283 Bibliography 286 Appendix 308 Abstract This research is a pioneering study focusing on the museum governance system. Governance in museums has been under-researched; however, recent disputes and development have drawn the public’s attention to this subject. Furthermore, there is still no proper theory or model to explain the decision- and policy- making process in museums. Regarding the scope of this thesis, a focus on national museums of the UK and Taiwan has been chosen because of their historical similarities. A literature review was conducted to aim at answering the question of ‘what is governance?’, including its definition and theories, not only in the private sector, but also in the public and non-profit sectors. Museum governance has been identified and compared with the application of marketing and management as well as museology. It was also significant to investigate the historical development of museum governance in the two selected countries. It has enabled the author to find out the most influential factors in the governance systems of museums and create a preliminary model. Six national museums were selected as cases and three trips of fieldwork were achieved in a period of more than a year. A background analysis of each case provided a fundamental understanding of their history, organisational structure and importance. Data collected was later analysed in detail and compared, to understand governance practices as well as to test the proposed model. This has proved that the Interactive Model of museum governance helps to explain the governance process in the museum; however, a minor change has also been made to refine this model. A further literature review was conducted to update the information and also to ensure the originality of this research. There are some suggestions for future research on this subject, and it is the hope of the author to have widened interest in museum governance both in academia and among museum professionals. i Acknowledgements During the period of msy research I have been indebted to many people. I would not have been able to embark upon my doctoral research without financial support from the Taiwanese government, which generously provided me with a three-year full grounding scholarship. My friends in the embassy in London, Do-ming Chu, Huei-chun Wu and Eileen Sun, were of great help to me. I am very grateful for the help given by my interviewees in the national museums in the UK and Taiwan, for both their kindness and keen support. Without their help, this research would still be like a castle in the air. It has been a great pleasure to conduct my research in the Museum and Gallery Studies programme in St Andrews. In particular I am greatly indebted to Professor Ian Carradice for all his patient and inspiring supervision. Also a special thank you goes to Annette Carruthers and Alf Hatton for their valuable suggestions and advice in helping me refine the quality of this research. Margaret Hall, Dawn Waddell and Lynn Whittaker have been my angels all the way. Margaret and Peter Humfrey are like my parents in Scotland. David Jones was my mentor in my last year, and Natalie Adamson gave encouragement when it was needed. I would also like to thank my office mate and colleague, Maria Halkias, with whom I helped to organise a conference in 2008, and shared lots of experiences in pursuing our Ph.Ds. All the staff and students in the School of Art History have been so friendly and helpful, and I always feel that it is just like a big family. I would also like to thank many friends that I met in St Andrews for their constant encouragement: Hung-Tai Lee, Chih-Mei Kao, Daisy Chen, Miriam Loesch, Jesus Garcia Mugarza, Ewan A. Drylie, Craig Fletcher, David Walters, Yi-Chen Huang, ii Allison Sherman, Michelle Huang, Anna Glomm, Billy Rough, Peter Lindfield, Adrian Wale, Alison Hadfield, Jessica Burdge, Emma-Jane McAdam and Elizabeth Finlay. I feel really lucky to have studied and lived in Scotland and some further friends are particularly worthy of mention: Steven W. Sorley, Isabel and Thomas Sorley and Elizabeth Varrie for their efforts to make me feel Scotland was my second home. Douglas Campbell, Alisdair T. Macleod-Mair, Simon Taylor and Alan Reid gave me support when I was down. I am also lucky to have had support from my friends in and from Taiwan: Chan-Mei Lin, Pei-Yi Lu, Yu-chieh Chang, Shulin Chiang, Liang-yu Chen, Kwue-yu Yeh, Pao-teh Han, Kwan-nan Huang, Chin-tao Wu, Sheng-Ying Chen and Yupin Chung. The list is too long to continue, and I apologise if I have failed to mention anyone. A very special thank you also goes to my true friend, Feng-Ying Ken, who has been so kind and helpful to me through the five years. Finally, and most importantly, I would like to thank my parents Ying-hsiung Tzeng and Kwen-mei Kuo for all their support and encouragement, without which I would never have been able to finish this research. Additionally I would like to thank my sisters Yu-jin Tzeng, Chuan-yuan Tzeng and Pei-chia Tzeng, as well as my brother-in-law, Yung-dong Wang, who have been so encouraging and supportive.