Made in the USA? The paradiplomatic strategies of California and Illinois to the EU

Abstract

ABSTRACT While scholarship on paradiplomacy vis-à-vis the European Union has primarily focused on European regions, this article analyses third-country subnational engagement with the EU and assesses the paradiplomatic strategies of two US states: California and Illinois. Although both states engage with the EU for economic reasons rather than for interest representation, Illinois prioritises market access, whilst California focuses on regulatory issues. Drawing on the multilevel governance and paradiplomacy literatures, we examine the impact of these paradiplomatic efforts on state–federal relations. We find that Illinois’ subnational diplomacy benefits from state–federal dynamics of benign neglect, while California’s subnational initiatives involve both benign neglect and federal bypassing. We unveil the determinants of these patterns of state–federal relations, and identify five explanatory factors: constitutional competences, political leadership, entrepreneurship, party politics and market size.