Explaining Trajectories of Municipal Amalgamations: A Case Comparison of the Netherlands and Flanders

Abstract

Although there has been a general trend towards local government mergers in Western European countries, the trajectories of municipal amalgamations vary widely per country. Through a comparative in-depth analysis of the Netherlands and Flanders we explore what factors help to explain the differences between trajectories of municipal amalgamations, as a starting point for understanding why municipal amalgamations do or do not occur. It is clear that amalgamation trajectories are highly complex and very much embedded in case-specific contexts. Major factors influencing municipal amalgamations trajectories relate to an explanation of path dependence. The complexity of amalgamation processes, however, carries the threat of easy oversimplification. Our conclusion, therefore, is that the deeper processes must be understood as a basis for studies that use more simplified, quantified data.