Short description
(English)
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The research project examines the domestic impacts of transnational city-cooperation (a) at the level of the city, (b) at the level of the city-region, and (c) with respect to the relationships between the city and upper-level governments. The analysis is based on comparative case studies on six Swiss agglomerations, as well as three European city-regions.
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Partners and International Organizations
(English)
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AT, BE, CH, DE, DK, ES, FI, GR, IT, MT, NL, NO, SI, SK, TR, UK Prof. C. Lefèvre, Ecole natinale des ponts et chaussées, Paris Prof. B. Jouve, Université du Québec, Montréal Prof. E. D'Alberto, Università la Sapienza
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Abstract
(English)
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Transnational city-cooperation is pursued as a means of strengthening a city's or a city-region's position in the face of global pressures, where the capacity to 'jump scales' is believed to widen the room for manoeuvre. Indeed, international city networks, partnerships, leagues etc. which are currently mushrooming at a global and especially European scale, can be seen as a major vector for cities' and city-region's strategies to strengthen their bargaining position in the international marketplace. In this project, we examined the effect of transnational city-cooperation at three levels: First, at the scale of the city-community, the formation of 'civil capacity' is crucial, i.e. the bridging of group differences and internal divides through activities that foster participation and partnerships between groups. Second, bargaining capacity also entails regional integration, i.e. the improvement of horizontal intergovernmental relations among local constituencies within city-regions in order to increase their ability to work collectively towards common ends. Finally, integration of vertical intergovernmental relations - between cities and upper-level governments - is crucial, because they determine cities' discretion to a large extent. The analysis is based on comparative case studies on five Swiss agglomerations (Zurich, Lucerne, Berne, Lausanne, Geneva), as well as on two European city-regions (Stuttgart and Lyon). The case studies rely on data collected through qualitative research instruments (i.e. analysis of documents and 75 in-depth interviews with stakeholders).
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