European Centre for Research on Federalism

A large multi-disciplinary research project funded by the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council is exploring Multilevel Governance and Public Policy in Canadian Municipalities. Around the world, new forces are re-shaping the functions of cities and their relations with federal and regional governments. Municipalities are facing widespread problems, e.g. economic polarization, deteriorating infrastructure, and the social exclusion of minority groups. Under the pressures of globalization, technological and demographic change, and shifting public values, governments at all levels initiate policies to address these problems. The scholarly purpose of the overall project is to explain what causes differences in these policies. Its ultimate goal is to evaluate these policies and to contribute to improving them. The structure of intergovernmental relations, i.e. the interaction between the different levels in a complex system of multilevel governance, serves as explanatory factor for the variation in public policies.

Against the background of this overall framework, comparative studies examine the new pressures on municipalities and patterns of change in municipal-regional-federal relations and institutions. This comparative module is intended to provide an overview of how federal governments in federal or quasi-federal systems interact with local governments. It should offer some perspective on the extent and nature of multilevel governance in each of the states and how that multilevel governance affects the policy making capabilities of local government. Although the project is focused on federal-municipal relations, these relations are necessarily affected by and perhaps mediated by the regional order of government. The assessment of the international experience will be used to illuminate the Canadian case and reveal structural options for Canada. Finally, the issue of what kind of multilevel government system is most conducive to having good public policy in cities will be addressed.

The case study on Germany covers the following aspects:

• constitutional dimension
• range of municipalities responsibilities and functions
• fiscal position of municipalities
• representation of municipal interests vis-à-vis the federal level
• scope and nature of municipal-federal relations
• role of the regional level
• municipalities and international relations
• political dimensions of the municipal-federal relationship
• policy case studies on emergency planning and immigration
• recent trends including the Agenda 2010 and the reform of the federal system

Hrbek, Rudolf/Bodenbender, Jan 2007: Municipal-Federal Relations in Germany, in: Lazar, Harvey/Leuprecht, Christian (eds.): Spheres of Governance. Comparative Studies of Cities in Multilevel Governance Systems, Kingston, p. 163ff. (ISBN 9781-55339-019-0)