This book develops and tests a typology of local state-society relations. To deliver such a comparative study on institutionalized relations between local government and societal actors at the municipal level in Europe, the book identifies and classifies country-specific patterns of these institutionalized governance networks. This work explores the diversity within these institutionalized networks, approaching it from a strong comparative perspective that is anchored on a new typology allowing a more robust analysis of the identifiable patterns. It is a study with appeal to scholars and students of local government, public administration and political science as well as to those pursuing this debate and implementing similar agendas as practitioners.

Explores diversity in institutional networks of local governance in Europe Provides analytical tools to understand types of local-state society relations in several European countries Challenges conventional approaches to local government diversity and enhances knowledge regarding the role of citizens' engagement in policy networks at the local level

Autorentext

Filipe Teles is Assistant Professor at the Department of Social, Political and Territorial Sciences at the University of Aveiro, Portugal. He is a local governance specialist and member of the Research Unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policy.
Adam Gend wi is Assistant Professor of Political Science and Human Geography at the University of Warsaw, Poland. His research interests include local democracy (with particular focus on local elections) and territorial reforms in a comparative perspective.
Cristina St **nus is Associate Professor of Political Science at the Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Romania. Her research interests focus on the study of Romanian local government and politics in a comparative context and the governance of public service delivery.
Hubert Heinelt** is Emeritus Professor of Public Administration, Public Policy and Urban Research at the Institute for Political Science, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany. His research covers various policies in multi-level systems.

Inhalt

1. Interactions of societal actors and local government in institutionalized governance arrangements: the book's scope and content.- 2. Diversity in local state-society relations: A typology to grasp differences in institutional networks.- 3. How to measure the autonomy, coherence and relevance of local state-society relations?.- 4. Local state- society relations in Austria.- 5. Local state- society relations in Flanders (Belgium).- 6. Local state- society relations in Croatia.- 7. Local state- society relations in Czech Republic.- 8. Local state- society relations England.- 9. Local state- society relations in Finland.- 10. Local state- society relations in France.- 11. Local state- society relations in Germany.- 12. Local state- society relations in Greece.- 13. Local state- society relations in Iceland.- 14. Local state- society relations in Ireland.- 15. Local state- society relations in Italy.- 16. Local state- society relations in Latvia.- 17. Local state- society relations in Lithuania.- 18. Local state- society relations in Netherlands.- 19. Local state- society relations in Norway.- 20. Local state- society relations in Poland.- 21. Local state- society relations in Portugal.- 22. Local state- society relations in Romania.- 23. Local state- society relations in Spain.- 24. Local state- society relations in Sweden.- 25. Local state- society relations in Switzerland.- 26. Local state- society relations in European countries: Main findings.