Cross‐Border, Transnational, and Interregional Cooperation

Abstract

In the broadest sense, subnational cooperation across national borders involves three distinct but often interconnected levels: cooperation within local and contiguous cross‐border spaces; cooperation between regions beyond local border contexts; and transnational networks that can involve cities or groups of cities. These forms of cooperation have developed primarily in European, North American, and Asian contexts. While all three cooperation modes are significant, it is cooperation between contiguous border areas that is the most intensive and most frequently studied. Local/regional cross‐border cooperation (CBC) generally involves multiple networks of public, private, and civil society actors that work in close geographical proximity. For historical reasons, it was in continental Europe's economic core that cross‐border cooperation, as it is understood today, took root. Here, the confluence of local interests, spurred by the momentum of European economic recovery and prospects of integration, has promoted the development of new forums for dialogue and conflict resolution.

The spatial dimension of coronavirus crisis management and the role of subnational actors in the German–Polish border region

“…A difference in multilevel governance between Poland and Germany marks the greater scope of autonomy that the Bundesländer, as subnational units, have compared with the voivodships in more centralized Poland. Both, however, can install interregional partnerships, which over the years have established a stable web of subnational cross-border agreements and regional governmental or societal contacts (Scott 2017;MdFE 2020).…”