The added value of intra-municipal decentralisation: Comparing Bologna, Rotterdam, and Birmingham

Abstract

Against the background of a largely urbanised European population and of amalgamation processes directed at increasing urban areas’ competitiveness and efficiency in service delivery, local governments are facing the challenge of strengthening existing channels of interaction with their citizens and establishing novel ones (e.g. Bäck et al. 2005; Van Assche 2005; Norton 1994). Intra-municipal decentralisation (IMD) can be regarded as an appropriate strategy to bolster the interaction between local authorities and their citizens by making use of both participatory and representative models of decision-making.