French Budget Act (LOLF) Indicators as Seen Through the Lens of the National Drama Centres: A Case Study

This article explores the way in which a government-imposed performance measurement system, the "LOLF indicators," is perceived by French national drama centres (NDCs) and the performance paradoxes related to its use. The literature suggests that the LOLF indicators are difficult to implement because of the incompatibility of art with management control and because they might be seen as imposed by external stakeholders for accountability purposes. However, the interviewees in this case study of one NDC had no objection to measurement or to management control. The results nevertheless reveal several weaknesses in the LOLF indicators. In terms of performance paradoxes, the results highlight perverse and, to a lesser extent, positive learning processes at work. The causes of these processes are both unintended (elusiveness of policy objectives, contradictory goals) and deliberate (cream skimming and cherry picking). The authors explain how the indicators might evolve to overcome these weaknesses and paradoxes.