Analyse the Implications of the Development of Multi-Level Governance for Local Authorities

Analyse the implications of the development of multi-level governance

for local authorities

Organisations at other levels- regional, national, European and even international clearly affect

local services and decisions (Leach & Percy-Smith, 2001: 9)

Introduction

This paper will consider the implications of the development of multi-level governance for

local authorities in England. The term `multi-level governance' itself will be explored and

questioned in the context of existing academic literature on the subject. As it is impossible

to consider the impact of all tiers of governance on local government, the focus will be on

the implications of the development of supranational (EU) and sub-national (regional)

levels. It is felt that these are the most appropriate areas for discussion, as the phrase `multilevel

governance' initially emerged out of attempts to capture the development of a

supranational tier of governance, and the regional agenda is a particularly current area of

development.

What is multi-level governance?

Gary Marks developed the term `multi-level governance' to define developments in EU

structural policy following its major reform (including the introduction of the partnership

principle) in 19881 (Marks, 1993). Multi-level governance means:

...no pre judgements about the hierarchical order of institutions: global patterns of

governance can hook up with local institutions, just as local or regional coalitions of

' The partnership principle gave sub-national actors a formal role in the implementation process for the first

time.

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actors can bypass the nation-state level and pursue their interests in international

arenas (Pierre & Stoker, 2000: 30)

This is suggestive of a new (post-Westphalian) form of politics, which requires networks

of actors rather than a single agency working alone, to design and deliver policy. The

theory of `multi-level governance' has predominantly been developed by critics in...