Changing Government Relations in Europe - From localism to intergovermentalism

The past quarter of a century has seen extensive change throughout Europe. There have been significant changes in local government, and the European Union has come to play an increasing role in relation to municipal government. This book offers a comparative analysis of recent developments in intergovernmental relations in twelve countries across Europe. Using the framework for analysis from Page and Goldsmith’s 1987 Central and Local Government Relations, each chapter examines changes in central-local relations in their respective country over the past 20 years. This book extends the coverage to include, for the first time, both federal systems and Eastern European countries. Offering detailed empirical studies, it assesses how far there have been changes in the functions, access and discretion of local government. The book will be of great interest to students and scholars of local government, urban politics, EU studies and public administration.

1. Introduction - Mike Goldsmith and Ed Page 2. Belgium - Filip de Rynk and Ellen Waynenburg 3. Czech Republic - Martin Brusis 4. Denmark - Vibeke Andersen 5. France - Gilles Pinson 6. Germany - Angelika Vetter 7. Hungary - Gabor Soos 8. Italy - Luigi Bobbio and Stefan Piperno 9. The Netherlands - Theo Toonen and Trui Steen 10. Norway - Anne Lise Fimreite and Tommy Tranvik 11. Spain - Francesc Morata and John Etherington 12. Sweden - Henry Back and Vicki Johansson 13. Switzerland - Andreas Ladner 14. United Kingdom - Helen Sullivan 15. Conclusions - Ed Page and Mike Goldsmith