Intermunicipal cooperation: The quest for governance capacity?
| Author | Joanna Ferreira,Filipe Teles,Patricia Silva |
| DOI | 10.1177/0020852317740411 |
| Published date | 01 December 2018 |
| Date | 01 December 2018 |
| Subject Matter | Symposium Articles |
Article
International
Review of
Administrative
Sciences
Intermunicipal
cooperation: The quest
for governance capacity?
Patricia Silva
University of Aveiro, Portugal
Filipe Teles
University of Aveiro, Portugal
Joanna Ferreira
University of Aveiro, Portugal
Abstract
Intermunicipal cooperation is being increasingly adopted in various countries to cope
with the dilemmas of territorial scale and resource rationing. Despite the pressures
towards the reshaping of administrative boundaries, little is known about the capacity
of intermunicipal associations to function as effective, legitimate and resilient policy
actors. This article aims to contribute to this debate by addressing two interrelated
dimensions. First, it seeks to present a conceptual definition of governance capacity,
unpacking the conceptual framework into dimensions that can be measured systemati-
cally. Second, it aims to empirically assess the governance capacity of Portuguese inter-
municipal associations, drawing on a uniquesurvey of intermunicipal associations. Overall,
results suggest that despite being instrumentally driven, intermunicipal associations have
proven to be efficient, with members recognizing the benefits and the spillover effects of
trustworthy arrangements. However, the path dependencies affecting Portuguese local
governments may impact on the relatively low levels of governance capacity.
Points for practitioners
This article undertakes a conceptual analysis of the governance capacity of intermuni-
cipal associations. This analytical framework can be crucial for leaders, practitioners and
Corresponding author:
Patricia Silva, University of Aveiro, Department of Social, Political and Territorial Sciences, Campus
Universita
´rio de Santiago, PT-3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal.
Email: patriciasilva@ua.pt
International Review of
Administrative Sciences
2018, Vol. 84(4) 619–638
!The Author(s) 2018
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DOI: 10.1177/0020852317740411
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professionals working in management and administration especially those working
in complex and demanding settings. Given the general trend towards intermunicipal
cooperation – strongly encouraged by national and European regulations and reforms –
practitioners need to be able to measure the capacity of the cooperative arrangements
to be established and to be maintained. This article also strives to enlighten those
professionals as to which dimensions mostly need to be strengthened so as to
allow intelligent collective choices to be made and to set strategic directions for the
allocation of (increasingly) scarce resources.
Keywords
Governance capacity, intermunicipal cooperation, Portugal, regional dynamics
Introduction
One of the most repeated dictums about local government is that it is under a
profound transformation. The capacity of local governments to provide an ade-
quate level of service provision has been questioned, forcing them to engage in the
joint provision of public services through intermunicipal cooperation (IMC). It
entails the joint work of one or more municipalities, aimed at a common goal and
the performance of functions that are within the jurisdiction and municipal com-
petences, with the possibility of involvement of other (public or private) partners.
Despite the abundant research on the emergence of the IMC (see, among others,
Hulst and Van Montfort, 2007; Teles, 2016b), little is known about the capacity of
intermunicipal associations (IMAs) to function as effective, legitimate and resilient
policy actors. Indeed, empirical research has yet to provide a conceptual toolkit
to allow the emergence of comparative systematic research on the governance
capacity (GC) of IMAs.
This article targets two interrelated research objectives. First, it seeks to provide
a conceptual framework and operationalize each dimension of GC. Second, it
proposes an aggregated index of GC that can be used to assess GC in a compar-
ative perspective, either for longitudinal studies or for cross-case comparative
analysis. It does so by focusing on the Portuguese context. Portugal is no exception
in this trend towards IMC. It achieved a greater relevance not only due to the
financial crisis of the state and the bailout agreement, but also due to strategic
European guidelines (Teles, 2016a, 2016b). The Portuguese case illustrates a top-
down/induced form of cooperation as legal forms and financial incentives encour-
aged local governments to cooperate with one another.
This article begins by unpacking the concept of GC. The second section char-
acterizes the Portuguese administrative system, the position of local government
within it and the emergence of intermunicipal cooperative arrangements. The data
and methods section is dedicated to the operationalization of the GC dimensions.
620 International Review of Administrative Sciences 84(4)
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