Governance and Cooperation Trends in and Across the Alpine Region

Abstract

The Alpine Region is a territorial transnational area consisting of 7 states and 48 subnational entities which share many geographical, cultural and socio-economic challenges. In addition, the Alpine States and Regions have been politically and economically connected for decades and still strongly collaborate in various public and private institutions (e.g. Arge Alp, Alpine Convention, Alliance in the Alps, Alpine Town of the Year Association) as well as Euroregions organized for example as European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC). In fact, the Alpine territory is characterised by a solid tradition of cross-border cooperation based on a common identity. As an additional instrument, in 2014 the EU created the macro-regional strategy for the Alpine Region as a new form of transnational cooperation between States and Regions to implement territorial cohesion. Beside cross border cooperation, also multilevel governance is a key issue within the Alpine Region, vertically and horizontally. On the one hand, most of its States (Austria, Germany, Italy, Switzerland) have a federal or regional state structure, and sub-state autonomy and local self-government are firmly anchored. On the other hand, also several crossborder cooperation institutions and instruments are strongly connected which each other and share experiences. The panel aims to discuss how multilevel governance, political cooperation and citizen participation work in the Alpine territory in general or within Alpine regions specifically. It seeks papers which analyze governance trends in and across the Alpine Region in practice and from a comparative perspective, especially at local and regional level. The panel welcomes papers which deal with (local or regional) cooperation, intergovernmental relations, citizen participation, cross border issues and/or identity. Questions which may be covered are: How do constituent units and institutions cooperate with each other (within a region or from a cross border perspective) or with other actors? How are citizens involved in decision making processes? Which role is played by Regions and Municipalities in the Alpine multilevel systems?

Title	Details
Size, Strategy, or Self-Identity? Explaining Patterns of Territorial Interest Representation in Federal Switzerland	View Paper Details
Vertical and Horizontal Local Cooperation in South Tyrol, Tyrol and Graubünden	View Paper Details
Bringing Politics Back into Alpine Cooperation	View Paper Details