European Municipalities as Agents of Changes

Contemporary Europe is witness to numerous changes and crises. Although the main burden of addressing these rests on the shoulders of national politics, municipalities (are) often (expected to) play a crucial role in these processes. They are the primary level of social organisation where people interact daily, share mutual interests and collectively address wicked issues. When municipalities embrace change and find proper ways of dealing with it, they can have a lasting and positive impact on society as a whole. The main objective of the 2024 Local Government and Politics section is to highlight the importance of (European) municipalities as agents of various changes of society, such as political, social, cultural, climatic, technological and economic ones and the opportunities and challenges these provide or pose. It scrutinizes if and how municipal authorities are able to accommodate these changes and the extent to and manner in which the latter also affect the functioning of local governance in turn. Municipalities are often very closely linked to changing societal conditions. Migration (not only immigration but also spatial moves such as urbanisation and suburbanisation) changes the demographics of municipalities, inflation changes the economy of municipalities, the populist turn changes the political landscape, new technologies change the way municipal institutions communicate with their residents, and this list could go on and on. All these processes pose a challenge to local government and local democracy more broadly, prompting us to ask a variety of research questions. How does climate change alter local politics? How are urbanisation and suburbanisation affecting institutional settings and cooperation in European localities? How does the changing national political landscape affect representation at the local level? How does inflation affect the performance of local governments in delivering public services? How are policies on new issues being decided and implemented? How is the relationship between people and political representation changing? What is the role of innovative democratic instruments in adapting to change? Moreover, in an increasingly complex world, local politics is less and less locked within administrative boundaries. Many tasks require cooperation between municipalities or with other governmental levels or societal actors. Cooperation is often a deliberative choice of municipalities, but can also take a more unwilling form such as in the case of territorial reforms. Moreover, to be effective agents of change, municipalities often need communication, collaboration, a shared vision and, above all, strong leadership. Local leaders face multiple changes every day. They work in an environment of radical uncertainty and have to face difficult compromises between social, political and economic challenges. In recent years, they have been at the frontline of crisis management and often have to adopt measures and responsive policies with significant consequences for local leadership. This less exposed dimension of leadership, i.e. dealing with change and adapting to new realities, is high on the list of most important tasks, not only for mayors but also for local councillors.