The problem of socio-territorial inequality in cultural policies: Unveiling policy frames through Barcelona policies (2019–2023)

• Develops three policy frames for inequality in local cultural policies: constitutive inequality, multidimensional participation, and intersectional equity frames. • Examines Barcelona's cultural policies (2019–2023) and its ground policy frames concerning socio-territorial inequality. • Identifies tensions between legitimizing and non-legitimizing cultural practices within policy frameworks. • Reveals limitations within cultural policy frames, particularly in fully capturing cultural inequalities' contested and intersectional nature. • Underlines the necessity of embracing complex equity approaches to cultural inequality, going beyond the confines of traditional policy frames. This article examines how cultural policy frames embody and shape inequalities in cultural participation within urban settings. It explores both historical and contemporary policy frames, scrutinizing various approaches to cultural democratization and intersectional equity. From this perspective, we study how the cultural policies advanced by the Barcelona City Council framed inequalities in urban cultural participation and access to culture. The research employs thematic analysis of Barcelona's cultural policy documents and relevant stakeholder interviews to evaluate these frames' problem definition, prognosis, and collective action components. On this basis, the article identifies three main policy frames: constitutive, participatory, and intersectional, which are contrasted with policies implemented in the city from 2019 to 2023, including both pre- and post-COVID-19. The results reveal that although the local administration's policy frame broadly aligns with strategies and narratives of multidimensional participation and pro-intersectional equity frames, it also embeds tensions within and between specific social stratification and constitutive components of cultural policy design.