Twenty years of multi-level governance: ‘Where Does It Come From? What Is It? Where Is It Going?’

Abstract

In two decades since the Maastricht Treaty, multi-level governance (MLG) has developed as a conceptual framework for profiling the 'arrangement' of policy-making activity performed within and across politico-administrative institutions located at different territorial levels. This contribution examines the ways in which the MLG literature has been employed, effectively taking stock of applied research to date. It identifies five main uses of MLG and the different focus of emerging research over time. Considering the most recent scholarship, the contribution explores possible new directions for research, in light of global governance, culminating in a 'bird's eye view' of MLG over 20 years.

Implementing Local Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Actions: The Role of Various Policy Instruments in a Multi-Level Governance Context

“…However, given the large number of actors in the sector and the complexity and subsequently modestly regulated nature of energy use in family level dwellings, this area was subject both to multiple and uncoordinated actors and soft regulation with limited implementation. The case can thus be seen to illustrate the fact that governance (between multiple actors and using multiple types of instruments, in particular soft instruments) requires much more coordination between actors than does traditional government steering in order to be successful [16]. The problems with coordination of climate policy for buildings are first and foremost concerned with financial and soft instruments, as agents do not coordinate efforts.…”

“…Non-mandatory developments may be less likely to be well funded and will have to compete with all mandatory requirements for funding and implementation at any level [11,60]. Participation and bottom-up issue building will, while possibly locally effective, thus require high levels of agreement as well as coordination to attain uploading to European level [16].…”

“…Multi-level governance has been defined as the negotiated exchange between institutions on multiple levels, including the local, regional and national organization of the state and other actors (ibid.). However, studies also with regard to areas other than the environment have noted that, while multi-level governance "enabled non-hierarchical linkages for interdependent policy coordination, it appeared scholars had underestimated the conditions needed to ensure effective policy co-ordination and, hence, convergence" [16].…”

“…Limitations have, among others, included "vertical co-ordination problems, including increasing transaction costs, which rose with 'the number of administrative levels and degree of subnational autonomy'" [16,17]. The multi-level setting also adds complexity in that not only state but other means of organization are recognized: "the 'geographical imaginary' of environmental politics, where discrete local, national and international arenas operated in parallel, needed to give way to an account which recognized the complex vertical linkages between state institutions and the emergence of new political spaces which exceed this lexicon" [18].…”

“…Before issues gain sufficient consensus on means and methods to become institutionalized in legislation, less hierarchical, soft instruments remain subject to voluntary agreement among actors. Thus, for example, "'soft' policy instruments not backed by EU legislation encourage coordination, benchmarking and best practice without any threat of sanctions" [16]. In the climate area, these have included guidelines for local authorities and dissemination of information on good-practice cases [22].…”