French Chambers of Commerce and Industry as Participants in Local Collaborative Governance and Collaborative Management

Abstract

Local governance continues to be one of the key concepts in the contemporary approach to the functioning of local government, administration, and public management. The most crucial premise of this concept is the interactive way of exercising power, where various actors identify and implement joint projects, including residents, community organizations, and public and private institutions. Despite significant interest in this concept, it needs further analysis and refinement. In academia, the lack of conceptual clarity makes it difficult to analyze and identify the differences in collaborative governance and management processes. In practice, the concept’s full potential is not recognized, which hinders its application in local decision-making. An attempt has been made to fill this research gap by analyzing the role of French chambers of commerce and industry as participants in local collaborative governance and collaborative management. Chambers of commerce and industry have a long tradition and are a permanent element of the French political system. Their current status is the outcome of a long historical process and institutional development closely linked to France’s significant political and economic changes. Through literature and data analysis, as well as the study of documents, selected aspects of the activity of chambers of commerce and industry in local collaborative governance and collaborative management are presented, as well as identifying the challenges faced by these institutions in the process of collaboration with local authorities and other stakeholders.