Collaborative Governance in Austere Times: Change and Resilience Amongst Inter-Municipal Associations in Spain

Abstract

The governance aspects of the New Urban Agenda (NUA) are not only about the coordination of activities across traditionally disparate policy domains, but also about the adoption of frameworks and structures that foster collaboration between governmental institutions operating in neighbouring territories and at different geographical scales. In many European countries, various forms of such coordination have been practised for several years, focusing mainly on public service delivery and regulation of economic and social activity. In the post-crisis period after 2008, such territorial arrangements have been under the spotlight as severe austerity-based policies have bitten. While many governments still promote cross-boundary coordination and collaborative governance, the justification has shifted from enhanced quality and effectiveness to securing greater efficiency, in particular the potential cost savings they can bring. Equally such moves can readily transmute into an attack on subnational collaborative arrangements, not just on the basis of expenditure reduction, but also to limit the potential emergence of powerful subregional coalitions. Even so, the nature of whatever modifications to governance structures emerge still depends on the balance of social forces within a given national polity and the scope for change afforded by the legal basis of that polity. In this chapter, these processes are examined through a case study of a recent central government attempt in Spain to rationalise the local administrative landscape by drastically reducing the number of voluntary inter-municipal associations (mancomunidades) via an upward transfer of powers. However, inadequate legislative framing has combined with strong regional and municipal resistance and the flexible advantages of this form of association to effectively nullify the initiative, especially in those territories that most value a high degree of autonomy (Basque Country, Catalonia, Valencia). Given the difficulties of generalising across such disparate geographies, the chapter concludes with a call for multidisciplinary research using a relational analytical framework that blends insights from political science, public administration and political geography.