Regional Governance In The Eu

The role of regions in the European Union has been frequently debated since the 1980s. This comprehensive book provides a thorough overview of the issue from a variety of perspectives, analysing regional governance and territorial dynamics in the EU and its member states. Focusing on the implications of the democratisation–regionalisation nexus, it argues that a ‘Europe with the regions’ may promote good governance and ameliorate the democratic deficits of the EU.

'Although this book is likely to attract a specialist readership, since it deals with local and regional levels of government in four Nordic countries, it also contributes to a general analysis of sub-national and international identities. The authors provide clear conceptual frameworks for discussing the challenges to protecting and developing autonomy at sub-national level. Issues relating to decentralisation of decision-making within the context of the European Union are well presented.' - Aslib Book Guide '. . . the strength of this book lies in its treatment of the relationship between "regionalisation" concepts and internationalisation (or Europeanisation to be more accurate). The authors are excellent in their coverage of how local and regional governments have adapted their procedures to take account of the impact of such trends as European integration, and the usage of Putnam/multi-level governance is particularly useful . . . the book is a significant contribution and first-class.' - Lee Miles, University of Hull, UK The European political landscape is one of constant flux and it is this alternating integration and disintegration which influences the basic conditions in which political power is exercised. This book argues that the interests of the cities and regions of Europe are increasingly influenced by European supranational institutions rather than the nation state and that governance in Europe is shifting to a regional and local level.

European integration has profoundly changed the relationship between national and subnational governments and has led to the emergence of the Europe of the Regions. This edited volume highlights some of the problems involved in the integration of the three main levels of governance in the European Union: the regional, national, and supranational level. The contributors address recent developments in various regions and examine the way these regions have adjusted to the growing importance of the European Union's multilevel governance system. Among the issues discussed are the emergence and institutionalization of new regional political systems, such as those of Scotland, Wales, and Flanders; the channels available to the regions for influencing the EU policy process in relation to their constituencies; and horizontal projects of integration among regions, which make the whole multilevel governance system more flexible as well as more complex.

This publication compares for the first time how the regions in seven different countries (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK) are involved in EU governance. It is also the first book which tackles this matter from two different perspectives; that of EU law and that of comparative law. It includes contributions both from well-established scholars in the field of EU law and from younger scholars.

A fresh alternative to traditional state-centred analyses of the process of European integration is presented in this book. World-renowned scholars analyze the state in terms of its component parts and clearly show the interaction of subnational, national and supranational actors in the emerging European polity. This `multi-level politics' approach offers a powerful lens through which to view the future course of European integration. The contributors' empirical exploration of areas such as regional governance, social policy and social movements underpins their broad conceptual and theoretical framework providing significant new insight into European politics.

This book analyses the diffusion of norms concerning gender-based violence and gender mainstreaming of aid and trade between the EU, South America and Southern Africa. Norm diffusion is conceptualized as a truly multidirectional and polycentric process, shaped by regional governance and resulting in new geometries of transnational activism.

This book has two mutually reinforcing aims/parts. The first aim is to contribute to a more productive debate between different theoretical standpoints. There is surprisingly little theoretical and conceptual debate in this burgeoning field, which is one major reason for the failure to fully grasp the diversity of today’s interregionalism. Too often theorists speak past each other, without really engaging with alternative theoretical perspectives or competing research results. Indeed, this book constitutes the first systematic attempt to bring together leading theories and theorists of interregionalism. Leading scholars from around the world develop their own distinctive theoretical perspectives on interregionalism, with a particular emphasis on the dynamic relationship between regionalism and interregionalism. These highly acclaimed theorists have all been associated over the years with a variety of disciplines, institutions, schools and debates and so bring a rich set of insights and connections to this pioneering project. The second part of the book ‘unpacks’ and problematises the region, the driving actors and institutions that are engaged in interregional relations. There is a strong tendency in the field to treat regions as coherent units actors in an interregional relationship, and such simplified notions about ‘regions’ and ‘regional organisations’ necessarily result in superficial and misleading understandings of interregionalism. This part of the book connects the theoretical discussion in the first part with a manageable empirical object.

Namhafte Autoren aus zahlreichen Staaten Europas betrachten regionale Politikgestaltung auf der Basis struktureller Faktoren, die über die klassischen Regierungsinstitutionen hinausgehen. Die Entgrenzung des Regierens in postmodernen politischen Systemen wie der Europäischen Union hat eine theoretische Neukonzeptualisierung politikwissenschaftlicher Forschung im Bereich comparative politics bewirkt. Das Governance-Konzept ist eine Ausprägung dieses Prozesses. Gerade in internationalen Arenen fi det es seit jeher Anwendung, mittlerweile aber auch im nationalstaatlichen und im regionalen Kontext. Die asymmetrische Struktur substaatlicher Institutionalisierung in EU-Staaten stellt hohe Ansprüche an die Phantasie der relevanten Akteure. Nur in einem institutionell flexiblen System können Länder, Regionen, Gemeinschaften oder Kreise ihre Politikpräferenzen nachhaltig in den Politikprozess einspeisen. Die Beiträge namhafter Autoren aus zahlreichen (Flächen)Staaten Europas betrachten in diesem Band regionale Politikgestaltung auf der Basis struktureller Faktoren, die über die klassischen Regierungsinstitutionen vertikaler Gewaltenteilung hinausgehen. Unter Rekurs auf das Governance-Konzept wird regionales Regieren vor dem Hintergrund parteipolitischer, zivilgesellschaftlicher, wirtschaftsstruktureller und europäischer Bedingungsfaktoren veranschaulicht. Das Buch wendet sich an fortgeschrittene Studierende im Bereich Regional- und Integrationsfo schung, sowie an Forscher, die sich einen schnellen Überblick über Regionalismen in alten und neuen EU-Mitgliedsstaaten verschaffen wollen.