Patterns of Inter–Municipal Cooperation and Local Government Characteristics in Romania

Abstract

This paper approaches inter–municipal cooperation in Romania by focusing on the characteristics of local governments that help to explain the choice of cooperation arrangements and their institutionalisation. From a policy perspective, the paper looks at the extent to which intermunicipal cooperation in Romania answers the great expectations of both central and local government in terms of effects on public service delivery and spending of EU development funding. The analysis shows that the experience of local governments in cooperating with diverse actors for the purpose of fulfilling some of their tasks increases the chances for the institutionalisation of inter–municipal cooperation agreements.