The Theory of Multi-level Governance: Conceptual, Empirical, and Normative Challenges

This book explores the theoretical issues, empirical evidence, and normative debates elicited by the concept of multi-level governance (MLG). The concept is a useful descriptor of decision-making processes that involve the simultaneous mobilization of public authorities at different jurisdictional levels as well as that of non-governmental organizations and social movements. It has become increasingly relevant with the weakening of territorial state power and effectiveness and the increase in international interdependencies which serve to undermine conventional governmental processes. This book moves towards the construction of a theory of multi-level governance by defining the analytical contours of this concept, identifying the processes that can uniquely be denoted by it, and discussing the normative issues that are raised by its diffusion, particularly in the European Union. It is divided into three parts, each meeting a specific challenge - theoretical, empirical, normative. It focuses on three analytical dimensions: multi-level governance as political mobilization (politics), as authoritative decision-making (policy), and as state restructuring (polity). Three policy areas are investigated in vindicating the usefulness of MLG as a theoretical and empirical concept - cohesion, environment, higher education - with particular reference to two member-states: the UK and Germany. Finally, both the input and output legitimacy of multi-level governance decisions and arrangements and its contribution to EU democracy are discussed. As a loosely-coupled policy-making arrangement, MLG is sufficiently structured to secure coordination among public and private actors at different jurisdictional levels, yet sufficiently flexible to avoid "joint decision traps". This balance is obtained at the cost of increasingly blurred boundaries between public and private actors and a change in the established hierarchies between territorial jurisdictions.

Table of Contents:
Preface Introduction Part I - The Theoretical Challenge 1: Conceptual Analysis 2: Center vs Periphery 3: Domestic v. International 4: State v. Society Part II - The Empirical Challenge 5: Empirical Analysis 6: Cohesion Policy 7: Environmental Policy 8: Higher Education Policy Part III - The Normative Challenge 9: The Normative Challenge 10: Input Legitimacy 11: Output Legitimacy 12: Democracy Conclusion Bibliography

About the Author :
Simona Piattoni is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Trento, Italy, where she teaches Comparative Politics, European Politics and Local Government. She previously taught at the University of Tromsø (Norway) and has been visiting scholars at the European University Institute, the Max-Planck Institut für Gesellschaftsforschung, and the University of California, Berkeley. She is member of the Executive Committee of the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR), and the Conference Group on Italian Politics and Society (CONGRIPS) and sits on the editorial boards of the European Journal of Political Research, Regional and Federal Studies, European Political Studies, Rivista Italiana di Scienza Politica, and Meridiana. Her main research interests concern European Union governance and particularistic politics (clientelism, corruption).

Review :
Simona Piattoni's book offers an exceptional innovative insight for the development of theorising multi-level governance ... The highlight of this book is the development of a multidimensional framework of analysis of multi-level governance theorisation. This makes it an innovative and valuable contribution to the further completion of multi-level governance theory. To capture the distinctiveness of multi-level governance in simultaneously theoretical, empirical and normative terms, the author uses an ambitious yet successful approach. Hence, it deserves more attention and should provoke serious debate and further research in this field.