For readers interested in an overview of what led to the adoption of the European Union's Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and its aftermath, this book traces the discursive dynamics and milestones of the negotiations around the MFF and the new recovery instrument, aimed at alleviating the economic crisis caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. Covering the negotiations of the current MFF, contributions by both scholarly experts in their respective policy areas and authors close to the policy community in Brussels provide a well rounded insight into this discerning topic. Chapters explore the issues that unfolded during the negotiations of the MFF and recovery package against the backdrop of conflicts over solidarity, identity and sovereignty and thus the scope of cooperation and membership as well as institutional design and authority. EU Policymaking at a Crossroads anticipates, describes and discursively explains changes in selected policy areas, looking into the negotiations, effects and reflections surrounding them. This timely book will be a highly beneficial read for academics and students in the fields of international relations, European politics and public policy. Scholars specializing in multilevel governance of different policy areas such as sustainability, agriculture and migration will also profit from this comprehensive book.

This definitive Handbook addresses the current lack of research into European policy-making and development using an interpretive perspective. Questioning areas that mainstream approaches tend to neglect, contributors target the ways in which ideas, arguments and discourses shape policies in the institutional context of the EU. The Handbook of European Policies provides an in-depth and comprehensive introduction for all significant policy areas in the EU, highlighting the theories of post-positivism and interpretivism. With rich explanations of different methodological and conceptual approaches to post-positivist research, key chapters consider the essential exchange between EU integration studies and EU policy studies, examining how both can benefit from this new and exciting approach. Offering theoretically grounded answers, this Handbook creates a dialogue between critical policy studies and European integration theory. Academics and practitioners concerned with the functioning of EU policies will benefit from the eminent contributors? insights into issues high on the institutional agenda of the EU and its member states. In addition, the Handbook is suitable for both undergraduate and graduate courses concerned with European integration and EU policies. Contributors include: R. Atkinson, P. Biegelbauer, Y. Bollen, D. Dakowska, F. Daviter, P.H. Feindt, H. Heinelt, J. Kantola, J.D. Kelstrup, M. Knodt, X. Kurowska, E. Lombardo, S. Munch, F. Nullmeier, J. Orbie, K.T. Paul, W. Petzold, C.M. Radaelli, D. Sack, E.K. Sarter, S. Saurugger, M.A. Schreurs, K. Serrano Velarde, V.A. Schmidt, M.A. Schreurs, H. Strassheim, M. Weber, K. Zimmermann

The interest in urban governance and policy is growing, namely in the proposed interconnection with innovation policies. This book fills a gap by contributing to a new understanding of urban innovations. The authors treat the subject in an original manner, particularly given the methodological approach. Innovation is a heated topic and is taught widely in management studies, economic geography and development studies. The value of this book is its empirical cases that enrich our understanding of a growing topic. This book will be particularly relevant for the analysis of local policy systems and for the broader field of urban studies, urban planning and urban geography.

The interest in urban governance and policy is growing, namely in the proposed interconnection with innovation policies. This book fills a gap by contributing to a new understanding of urban innovations. The authors treat the subject in an original manner, particularly given the methodological approach. Innovation is a heated topic and is taught widely in management studies, economic geography and development studies. The value of this book is its empirical cases that enrich our understanding of a growing topic. This book will be particularly relevant for the analysis of local policy systems and for the broader field of urban studies, urban planning and urban geography.

Can participatory governance really improve the quality of democracy? Concentrating on democracy beyond governmental structures, this Handbook argues that it is a political task to engage individuals at all levels of governance. The Handbook on Participatory Governance reveals that transforming governance arrangements does in fact enhance democracy and that the democratic quality of participatory governance is crucial. The contributors reflect on the notion of democracy and participatory governance and how they relate to each other. Case studies are presented from regional, national and international levels, to identify how governance can be turned into a participatory form. With chapters reviewing participatory governance?s role alongside power, science and employment relations, innovative ideas for future progress in participatory governance are presented. Academics and postgraduate students with an interest in governance and public policy will find this Handbook a useful guide for further and future research. Practitioners interested in improving citizen participation will also benefit from the insight into increasing participation at every level of governance. Contributors include: R. Atkinson, B. Denters, F. Fischer, B. Geissel, M. Haus, H. Heinelt, P. Hess, P.-J. Klok, N. Kortendiek, K.-O. Lindgren, S. McKay, T. Persson, T. Pogrebinschi, T. Saretzki, R. Schmalz-Bruns, W. Schroeder, S.J. Silvia, J. Steffek, J. Steiner, P. Stolzenberg, B. Wampler, M.E. Warren, K. Zimmermannis

Debates about multi-level governance have led to a profound restructuring of regional and local government. The second level of local government is under review in most European countries, with the aim to strengthen the institutional capacity of municipalities or to develop appropriate institutional structures for governing fragmented urban areas. This book provides a thematic and cross-national analysis of the key actors in local government that form the crucial components of effective and democratic policy making. Focussing on the second tier of local government, it examines new empirical data on councillors from this level of government in 15 European countries and integrates important variables such as party politics, notions of democracy, finance, multi-level settings. Divided into five parts, it addresses: Attitudes of county/provincial councillors towards administrative and territorial reforms; Their role perceptions and role behaviour; Their political orientation; Actor constellations and governance arrangements; Political socialization and recruitment, professionalization and career patterns of county/provincial councillors. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of local government, urban studies, regional studies, political science, sociology and geography.

Debates about multi-level governance have led to a profound restructuring of regional and local government. The second level of local government, the territorial level of self-government based on a multi-purpose jurisdiction, is under review in most European countries, with the aim to strengthen the institutional capacity of municipalities or to develop appropriate institutional structures for governing fragmented urban areas.

This book provides a thematic and cross-national analysis of the perceptions and interactions of key actors in local government, which form crucial components of effective and democratic policy making. Focussing on the second level of local government, it analyses new empirical data on councillors, political executives and leading bureaucrats in 15 European countries and integrates important variables such as party politics, democracy, finance, multi-level settings. Divided into 5 parts, it addresses:

• Attitudes towards administrative and territorial reforms
• Role perceptions and role behaviour
• Political orientation
• Actor constellations and governance arrangements
• Political socialization and recruitment, professionalization and career patterns.

This book will be of interest to students and scholars of local government, urban studies, regional studies, political science, sociology and geography.

This book follows on from "The Second Tier of Local Government in Europe" (Routledge, 2011).

Is the 'golden age' of democracy really over due to the pressures of globalisation and the erosion of the nation state? Within this book, Heinelt seeks to address the democratic deficit in political systems linked to limited Citizen Participation reflecting on the notion of democracy and participatory governance and how they relate to each other. Exploring democracy beyond the governmental structures and focusing on participatory governance in particular this book demonstrates that common notions of democracy have to be re-conceptualised without neglecting its key ideas. By arguing that it is a political task to turn the inevitability of governance into a participatory form, Heinelt develops a model of different 'worlds of democratic actions' which shows that democratic political systems have to be considered as a complex and broad web of various forms of interest articulation and intermediation as well as decision-making. Making an important contribution to the 'third transformation of democracy', this book will be of interest to students and scholars of governance, democracy, policymaking & European studies.

This book analyses the ability of individuals to create meaning through communicative interaction and of what seems to constrain and enable actors in taking collectively binding political decisions. The book examines why, in some contexts, individuals consider something as evident and relevant for their action while others perceive them as nonsense or simply as 'fake news'. As such, the book follows a research perspective based on a concept emphasizing that the core function of knowledge is related to the selection and integration of data and other information which give them substance. Taking an interpretive political science perspective to knowledge, the book overcomes particular deficiencies of policy learning concepts where the development of an understanding of 'reality' is thematized in a way that supposedly decrypts everyday processes through which individuals understand 'reality' and (re)orient their actions to intersubjective processes. To better understand these intersubjective processes, communicative mechanisms are worked through where knowledge claims are selected and integrated. This book will be of key interest to scholars and students of political science and policy analysis and more broadly, to sociology and social theory, geography, planning, philosophy, communication studies, and governance studies.

This book reflects on the role and task perception as well as the behaviour of councillors in the changing context of local democracy. Political leadership at the local level has attracted growing attention in recent years in parallel with reforms of local government and of the municipal administration as well as the debate on a shift from government to governance. But this debate is mainly focused on single leaders, i.e. mayors or executive officers. Considering the power triangle of (i) the mayor, (ii) the municipal administration (executive officers) and (iii) the council, it is surprising that councillors have gained little interest so far. The chapters start from a common conceptual framework. They start from the hypothesis that the role perception as well as the behaviour of councillors cannot be conceived of being determined directly by (i) both formal and informal institutional structures as well as by (ii) personal characteristics. Instead, this collection argues that the perceptions and behaviour of councillors are depending on their notion of democracy. Whilst the understanding of democracy can be affected by institutional structures, it also depends on the personal characteristics of the councillors. This book was published as a special issue of Local Government Studies.

Title first published in 2003. This book focuses on whether participatory governance can lead to sustainable and innovative outcomes. Using an empirical analysis of the development, implementation and review of an EU environmental management system - the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), it examines under which circumstances participatory governance might encourage sustainability and innovation.

Is the 'golden age' of democracy really over due to the pressures of globalisation and the erosion of the nation state?

Within this book, Heinelt seeks to address the democratic deficit in political systems linked to limited Citizen Participation reflecting on the notion of democracy and participatory governance and how they relate to each other. Exploring democracy beyond the governmental structures and focusing on participatory governance in particular this book demonstrates that common notions of democracy have to be re-conceptualised without neglecting its key ideas. By arguing that it is a political task to turn the inevitability of governance into a participatory form, Heinelt develops a model of different 'worlds of democratic actions' which shows that democratic political systems have to be considered as a complex and broad web of various forms of interest articulation and intermediation as well as decision-making.

Making an important contribution to the 'third transformation of democracy', this book will be of interest to students and scholars of governance, democracy, policymaking & European studies.

A fresh examination of the relationship between two key issues in the on-going debate on urban governance - leadership and community involvement. It explores the nature of the interaction between community involvement and political leadership in modern local governance by drawing on empirical data gathered from case-studies concerning cities in England, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, and Sweden. It presents both a country specific and cross-cutting analysis of the contributions that communities and leaders can make to more effective local governance. These country specific chapters are complemented by thematic, comparative chapters addressing alternative forms of community involvement, types and styles of leadership, multi-level governance, institutional restrictions and opportunities for leadership and involvement, institutional conditions underpinning leadership and involvement, and political culture in cities. This up-to-date survey of trends and developments in local governance moves the debate forward by analysing modern governance with reference to theories related to institutional theory, legitimation, and the way urban leadership and community involvement compliment one another. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of politics and urban governance, and to all those concerned with questions of local governance and democracy.

This book offers a cross-national analysis of contemporary issues and challenges for the governing of urban regions. The case studies on Germany, Spain, France, Greece, The Netherlands, Finland, the UK, Switzerland, Australia, the US and Canada, place particular emphasis on the tensions building on metropolitan governing capacity and democratic legitimacy. The authors develop and use an analytical framework focused on the dynamics of place and make an original contribution to the debates on the nature of metropolitan governance.

The issue of local governance is high on the institutional agenda of many local and regional authorities throughout the OECD countries. This book explores the relationship between two key issues of urban governance - leadership and community involvement - and how making these two elements more complementary can lead to more effective as well as legitimate policy outcomes.
The authors examine the dilemmas involved in ensuring effective governance, focusing on issues such as legitimacy, citizen participation, economic performance and social inclusion.

This title was first published in 2001. Outlining the results of a three-country study, this text examines the impact of EU policy on the domestic, political and institutional environment. It tests ideas about new forms of governance that reflect the values of participation and empowerment of local interests, particularly through a close scrutiny of the environmental impact process. The book also analyzes the responses of the business sector in three countries - Germany, Greece and Great Britain - to the introduction of a voluntary environmental management system, the eco-management and audit scheme.

Title first published in 2003. This book focuses on whether participatory governance can lead to sustainable and innovative outcomes. Using an empirical analysis of the development, implementation and review of an EU environmental management system - the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), it examines under which circumstances participatory governance might encourage sustainability and innovation.

This book offers a cross-national analysis of contemporary issues and challenges for the governing of urban regions. The case studies on Germany, Spain, France, Greece, The Netherlands, Finland, the UK, Switzerland, Australia, the US and Canada, place particular emphasis on the tensions building on metropolitan governing capacity and democratic legitimacy. The authors develop and use an analytical framework focused on the dynamics of place and make an original contribution to the debates on the nature of metropolitan governance.

The issue of local governance is currently high on the institutional agenda of many local and regional authorities throughout the OECD countries. This book explores the relationship between two key issues for urban governance - leadership and community involvement - and how making these two elements more complementary one to the other can lead to more effective as well as legitimate policy outcomes. The authors examine the dilemmas involved in ensuring effective governance, focusing on issues such as legitimacy, citizen participation, economic performance and social inclusion.
*Part I identifies the key themes and provides the framework of the main arguments in the book, offering an overall conceptual model.
*Part II develops this model providing a detailed discussion of key elements such as multi-level and multi-actor governance, leadership, community involvement and performance indicators etc.
*Part III explores the policy and practice implications.
This book will be ofinterest to academics and practitioners concerned with questions of local governance and local democracy, in the fields of political science and urban studies and regional planning.

Since the 1990s 'beliefs', 'ideas' or 'knowledge' as well as processes of communicative interactions such as persuasion, argumentation and learning have received increasing attention in social science for the understanding of political changes. This book makes a significant contribution to this scholarly debate and will be of interest to practitioners, showing on one side how climate change has received more and more attention in policy making at the local level and changed the urban agenda and on the other how different the responses of cities to this global challenge are - and how these differences between cities can be explained. This book was previously published as a special issue of Urban Research and Practice.

This title was first published in 2001. Outlining the results of a three-country study, this text examines the impact of EU policy on the domestic, political and institutional environment. It tests ideas about new forms of governance that reflect the values of participation and empowerment of local interests, particularly through a close scrutiny of the environmental impact process. The book also analyzes the responses of the business sector in three countries - Germany, Greece and Great Britain - to the introduction of a voluntary environmental management system, the eco-management and audit scheme.

Since the 1990s 'beliefs', 'ideas' or 'knowledge' as well as processes of communicative interactions such as persuasion, argumentation and learning have received increasing attention in social science for the understanding of political changes. This book makes a significant contribution to this scholarly debate and will be of interest to practitioners, showing on one side how climate change has received more and more attention in policy making at the local level and changed the urban agenda and on the other how different the responses of cities to this global challenge are - and how these differences between cities can be explained. This book was previously published as a special issue of Urban Research and Practice.

Drawing on classical and emerging research perspectives, this comprehensive book provides an up-to-date review of local government in Europe. Featuring an impressive range of contributors from both eastern and western Europe, the book addresses three main topics: territorial reforms, democratic empowerment of citizens and the role of local leadership, as well as new trends in local finances. Acknowledging their inherent diversity, the book examines the ways that local governments have responded to shared challenges, such as climate change, increasing populism and democratic deficit in order to identify both the variety and communalities between the country-specific features. In doing so, it provides a rich picture of the latest trends in local government, as well as pointing the way for future developments.

This book takes a comparative approach to local government across 14 European countries, looking at processes of decentralisation, regionalisation and reforms of local government. Examining second levels of government, such as UK Counties, French Departements, Italian and Spanish Provinces, and German Landkreise, this book reveals both the specific characteristics of particular countries, and also similarities across Europe. As the first book focussing on the second level of local governments, this monograph combines comparative analysis of institutional trends and reforms of local government with examination of country-specific features to provide an original and insightful evaluation of European governance. Organised along common thematic lines, leading experts in their field outline the historical development of local government, and analyse recent or current reform debates. The book argues democratic quality and effectiveness of this territorial level of government is in the focus of on-going debates about the rescaling of statehood and a shift from 'government to governance'. The Second Tier of Local Government in Europe will be of interest to students and scholars studying local government, public administration and multi-level governance.

This book takes a comparative approach to local government across 14 European countries, looking at processes of decentralisation, regionalisation and reforms of local government. Examining second levels of government, such as UK Counties, French Departements, Italian and Spanish Provinces, and German Landkreise, this book reveals both the specific characteristics of particular countries, and also similarities across Europe. As the first book focussing on the second level of local governments, this monograph combines comparative analysis of institutional trends and reforms of local government with examination of country-specific features to provide an original and insightful evaluation of European governance. Organised along common thematic lines, leading experts in their field outline the historical development of local government, and analyse recent or current reform debates. The book argues democratic quality and effectiveness of this territorial level of government is in the focus of on-going debates about the rescaling of statehood and a shift from 'government to governance'. The Second Tier of Local Government in Europe will be of interest to students and scholars studying local government, public administration and multi-level governance.