Integration Policy Networks and the Potential for Local Integration Policy Diffusion in European Small- and Medium-Sized Towns and Rural Areas: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

This article aims to open a debate about the diffusion of local integration policies in European small- and medium-sized towns and rural areas (SMsTRAs), shedding light on local policymakers’ relational environment and key features of policy networks that influence policy diffusion. Elaborating on data collected through 343 interviews across 34 SMsTRAs, analysed through social network analysis and qualitative content analysis, it concludes that the relational environment in SMsTRAs is unfavourable for integration policy diffusion due to specific characteristics of integration policy networks and the growing politicisation of local integration policymaking. Nonetheless, relevant variation is identified across different types of SMsTRAs.