Multi-levelgovernance in metropolitan areas (ERASMUS)

Over the last decades metropolitan regions (MRs) have turned into not only powerful centers of development, generating innovations and stimulating creative industries, but also into important political actors on the world-wide scene. During the course we discuss the problem of governing those functionally bounded, but administratively fragmented areas. We go through various theories of the old and new regionalism, which have emerged in the metropolitan discourse throughout the last century. Different organizational solutions to metropolitan problem are being discussed as well as the premises, which accompany various paradigms. In so doing, we refer to the concept of multi-level governance (MLG). The theory was elaborated in the 1990’s for the studies of the European integration, but in the course we apply it to the new empirical field (namely metropolitan governance). A lot of attention is paid to the constraints of MLG, which to some extent are reflected in the obstacles to and preconditions for establishing different metropolitan governance structures.

Subjects:

1) Introduction, concept of multi-level governacne (MLG)

2) MLG & metropolitan areas (MAs), “metropolitan problem”

3) Metropolitan governance – theories, MLG, newest approaches

4) History of metropolitan institutions (in Europe)

5) Examples of metropolitan bodies

6) Polish administrative system - introduction

7) Metropolitan areas in Poland

8) Polish MAs compared to West European ones

9) Examples of metropolitan bodies – students’ presentations

10) Sum up of metropolitan debate

11) MLG – advantages and disadvantages of the concept

Empirically, we lean on the European examples of metropolitan governance (mainly German and Polish ones), looking especially at their very recent developments.

Multi-Level Governance

- Piattoni S. (2010) The Theory of Multi-Level Governance, Oxford University Press, Oxford, New York [chapter 1: “Conceptual analysis”].

- Bache I., Flinders M. (2004) Themes and Issues in Multi-level Governance [in:] Bache I., Flinders M. (eds.) Multi-level Governance, Oxford University Press, Oxford, New York.

- Bache I., Flinders M. (2004) Conclusions and Implications [in:] Bache I., Flinders M. (eds.) Multi-level Governance, Oxford University Press, Oxford, New York.

- Lackowska M. (2009) „Zarządzanie wielopoziomowe – nowe zastosowania koncepcji”, Zarządzanie Publiczne 3(9), s. 53-68. [available only in Polish].

Metropolitan governance

- Stephens G.R., Wikstrom N. (2000) Metropolitan government and governance: theoretical perspective, empirical analysis and the future, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

- Savitch, H.V., Vogel R. K. (2004) “Suburbs Without a City: Power and City-County Consolidation”, Urban Affairs Review 39 (6), s. 758-790

- H. Heinelt, D. Kübler (eds.) (2005) Metropolitan Governance. Capacity, democracy and the dynamics of place, Routledge, Oxon.

- Lackowska M. (2009) “Why is voluntary co-operation condemned to failure? Reflections on the Polish German and background”, Lex Localis, vol. 7 no 4, 347-369.

- M. Lackowska (2011) Metropolitan governance: the academic debate, [in:] H. Heinelt, E. Razin, K. Zimmermann (eds.) Metropolitan Governance. Different Paths in Contrasting Contexts: Germany and Israel, Campus, Frankfurt/New York, 21-31.