Social organizations have assumed a growing role in the management of public policies of culture in the state of São Paulo. Founded in the "new public management" school, one can affirm that this model of management would bring more quality to democracy from the administrative reforms of public organizations. In the light of the theory of the quality of democracy, the article analyzes the model's implementation in the state, using the descriptive data of the resources provided and of the contracts of management established between the government and civil society organizations. We conclude that, despite the high effort in the implementation of the model, one cannot notice a pattern of management from social organizations of culture in its relationship with the state, as well as suggest other investigative dimensions to establish the research agenda.
quality of democracy; new public management; social organizations of culture; public policy management of culture; state reform
