Intergovernmental Networks Research Articles

Intergovernmental networks and local government capacity for disaster management in North Sumatra

The objective of this study is to examine the impact of decentralization on disaster management in North Sumatra Province. Specifically, it will analyze the intergovernmental networks, local government resilience, leadership, and communication within disaster management agencies. The study used a hybrid research approach, integrating qualitative and quantitative methodologies to investigate the connections between these factors and their influence on disaster response and mitigation. The study encompassed 144 personnel from diverse government tiers in North Sumatra and performed a meta-analysis on the implementation of disaster management. Intergovernmental networks were discovered to enhance collaboration in disaster management by eliminating regulatory gaps and efficiently allocating logistics. Nevertheless, local governments have obstacles as a result of limited resources and inadequate expertise, notwithstanding the progress made in infrastructure technology. The F test results reveal that leadership and communication have a substantial impact on the performance of BPBD personnel. The meta-assessment classifies its impact as extraordinarily high, suggesting comprehensive evaluation and successful achievement of goals in disaster management planning. Efficient cooperation among relevant parties is essential in handling calamities in North Sumatra. The government, commercial sector, NGOs, universities, and society have unique responsibilities. To improve effectiveness, governments should encourage private sector involvement, while institutions can increase their research contributions.

The sources of influence in multilateral diplomacy: Replaceability and intergovernmental networks in international organizations

The sources of influence in multilateral diplomacy: Replaceability and intergovernmental networks in international organizations

Interlocal collaborative processes and network position: the combined effects on environmental performance

ABSTRACT This study investigates how network actors’ participation in collaborative processes improves environmental outcomes and how their closeness centrality moderates these relationships. Relying on a city-level panel dataset for 76 cities from six urban regions that participate in China’s joint atmospheric pollution mitigation programs, we found that participation in joint meetings, interlocal agreements, and joint implementations positively influences a city’s air quality. These effects differ for cities in dominant and peripheral positions with unbalanced power and resources within the network. Our findings deepen our understanding of intergovernmental networks and provide practical insights for equitable and effective collaboration implementation.

Making Network Governance Work in Forest Land-Use Policy in the Local Government

Focusing on Indonesia’s Riau Province, this study examines the complexities of managing networks for forest governance, and how local governments should adopt and enforce policies in network settings based on multi-stakeholder participation. Data were collected through interviews and document analysis, and analyzed using network analysis. The finding show that network governance through regulation should be enforced through the network’s political structure, involve several local actors, and facilitate coordination and communication for mutual benefit, especially in forest land-use management. Trust and costs reflect the development of collaborative behavioral frameworks which can influence coordination capacity, including intergovernmental networks in forest land-use policy. Further, the separation of network governance from multiple linked actors, which seems more “ally” (i.e., lead-organization governed networks) than “join” (i.e., shared/participatory governance networks), is undoubtedly problematic. The network and building of trust between network stakeholders may never transform into multi-stakeholder management structures without enabling network governance.

Do local governments compete or cooperate for resiliency? The case of state spending in Colorado

Management of urban resilience requires both individual action and coordination between multiple governments sharing common geographic jurisdictions. Where strong intergovernmental networks exist, governments with low capacity may be able to enhance their capabilities by depending on larger governments. We hypothesize that local governments will be most likely to participate in planning, preparing, and recovery from disasters when they have network connections to governments with experience in resiliency programs. We use the case of resiliency funding in Colorado to test this hypothesis. The Colorado Department of Local Affairs maintains competitive grant funding for programs to enhance resiliency efforts. We utilize supervised machine learning to identify grants that target resiliency. Using resiliency grant funding as the outcome of interest, we leverage a Bayesian spatial lag model to assess how capacity and experience of overlapping governments in grant programs is associated with differing probabilities of governments achieving funding in the period from 2010 to 2018. The results demonstrate that grant-winning experience of geographically overlapping governments is negatively correlated with future funding of other nearby governments; however, local administrative capacity of other governments in the previous time period is associated with increased funding.

Dairy concessions in Canadian trade: a discursive institutionalist account

ABSTRACT Canadian policymakers have long been protective of their dairy industry despite reducing state interventions in other sectors. Recent preferential trade agreements (CPTPP, CETA, and CUSMA), however, have shown there are limits to this insularity. These new agreements have introduced dairy access concessions at a moment of flux within the rules-based international order. Why are there dairy concessions at this moment? This article combines political economic and ideational factors to explain this shift in Canadian trade policy. Applying discursive institutionalism, we observe a collapse of the dairy industry’s discursive power over sovereignty and federalism. This discursive breakdown is a function of (1) the legacy of earlier preferential trade agreements and (2) the success of challenger coalitions in persuading actors in favour of economic liberalization. Incorporating content analysis of public statements, we characterize this discursive breakdown within both federal and intergovernmental networks.

Intergovernmental cooperation networks, national policy positions and partisan ideologies: longitudinal evidence from the Council of the European Union

ABSTRACT This study describes and explains the evolution of cooperation networks among member states in the European Union. We examine the effects of similarities between states in their policy positions on specific controversial issues, the ideological orientations of their national governments, and the presence of populist parties in national governments. This builds on a prominent explanation of political ties, according to which political actors who share similar characteristics are likely to cooperate. The analysis examines cooperation networks in the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper I), one of the highest-level committees in the Council, in the period 2003–2018. The findings indicate that states with similar policy positions on specific controversial issues tend to form cooperative relationships, while party ideology indirectly and relatively weakly affects the formation of ties. Surprisingly, the presence of populist parties is unrelated to network evolution. These findings have implications for the extent to which cooperation in the Council is shaped by national democratic processes.

The Networked Diplomacy of Informal International Institutions

Abstract The rise of informal international institutions has been one of the most significant developments in institutional design and choice since the 1990s. While states have increasingly opted for informal governance, little is known about the character of intergovernmental relations in these settings. Scholars, for instance, debate whether great powers dominate such institutions, or whether influence can be exercised by a wider array of players. Drawing from the author’s experience as a government representative within the Proliferation Security Initiative, a leading informal institution, this article provides a theory-driven analysis of intergovernmental interactions within such bodies. It demonstrates that diplomacy within informal institutions tends to assume a decentralized, networked quality that favors actors positioned at the center of intergovernmental networks. In doing so, the article highlights clear means through which central network positions confer influence. The article also sheds new light on the Proliferation Security Initiative and on counterproliferation cooperation more generally.

Harnessing social interaction and intellectual capital in intergovernmental networks

PurposeIntellectual capital creation (ICC) in networks has been considered as central to the processes for responding to wicked problems. However, knowledge on the factors that explain ICC in networks is limited. We take a step toward filling this research gap by drawing on an extended view of social capital to identify specific network features that should explain ICC heterogeneity in engineered intergovernmental networks.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 655 local authorities participating in 8 networks was used to test the framework proposed. Data analysis followed a three-step approach. Firstly, confirmatory factor analysis was applied to assess the convergent and discriminant validity of the measures. Secondly, a non-parametric median test was conducted to determine whether the variables under study were statistically different for the eight networks. Lastly, the structural model underlying the conceptual framework was tested.FindingsThe authors found that the eight intergovernmental networks studied differed significantly in their levels of social interaction and ICC. At a structural level, three variables usually considered representative of social capital (social interaction, trust and shared vision) and two supplementary variables (shared resources and shared decisions) were proven to have significant direct and/or indirect effects on ICC.Originality/valueNo previous cross-sectional research has studied the link between the creation of social capital and intellectual capital in engineered intergovernmental networks. As this research focuses on networks and climate change, it contributes to the fourth and fifth stages of intellectual capital research.

Siete v teórii verejnej politiky. Prehľadová štúdia

Networks in public policy theory. An overview study The overview study in the introduction highlights the role that methodology has in the constitution of public policy theory as a science. In the first part, the study identifies the place of networks among other public policy methods, In the second part, it then summarizes the types of networks that most often appear and are used in public policy theory, such as issue networks, producer networks, intergovernmental networks, professional networks, policy communities, and others. Finally, the study summarizes the role that networks play in collectivizing various group interests in particular. URL: https://vsas.fvs.upjs.sk/

Intergovernmental Networks in Peace Operations

Notwithstanding the growing consensus on the benefits associated with cooperation among intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) in peacekeeping operations (PKOs), academic research has thus far neglected pressing questions of how IGOs collaborate within a network context in peace missions and how these interorganizational collaborations among IGOs, known as IGO networks, might account for the success or failure of these operations. More specifically, this study concentrates on how structural properties of IGO networks, such as the extensiveness of ties between network partners and the cohesiveness of such networks, may account for PKOs’ performance in accomplishing their core goals. A statistical analysis of all IGO peace operation networks since 1991 reveals that the density and centralization of IGO networks predict which PKOs are likely to be successful in accomplishing their core tasks of violence abatement, conflict containment, and conflict settlement.

Government Cooperation in Malang City and Malang Regency Government in Management Water Resources Wendit

The increase in population is 0.9% each year. It affects the amount of water demand in Malang City. From 2014 to 2016 the water demand in Malang City reached 30,364,684m³. This is a balanced water source production in Malang City, which is around 11.7% of the total water source in the Greater Malang region. Therefore, cooperation between a cooperation agreement from 2002 to 2022. The cooperation between Malang Regency Government and Malang City Government. The research method used for Wendit Resources and the problems is a descriptive approach to the management of Wendit Resources. Data collection techniques are carried out by observation, interviews, and documentation. The theory used is Intergovernmental Networks Robert Agranoff which emphasizes the existence of key actors and joint actions in implementing cooperation. The results of the study show that there are action networks in the implementation of cooperation and management of Wendit Resources. Malang Regency Government as a water source provider and Malang City Government utilizes and manages the water source to meet water needs in Malang City. The problem in cooperation is the existence of disputes over the cost of contributions between the two regions and less intense coordination between the two regions.

URGENSI KERJASAMA ANTAR DAERAH (INTERGOVERNMENTAL) DALAM PENANGANAN BENCANA ALAM DI DAERAH

Indonesia cluster regions have unique geographical and topographical characteristics also have potential for natural disasters. Potential for natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions, earthquake, tsunami, flood and landslide happen almost in every place in Indonesia. In the past, the handling for natural disasters still use rigid and centralized hierarchy bureaucracy approach which has not been able to handle the disasters and handle post disasters appropriately. The decentralization spirit changes handling natural disasters paradigm which giving authority toward regions government to manage the disasters in its territory. However, the big challenge is to synchronize every regions governments perception that natural disasters in regions can be manage only with one institution or region government according to territory border. The natural disasters management which include the pre disasters and post disasters need together management by several government stratum based on intergovernmental networks. The writer used inductive approach method which allow to describing of the result of analysis study of the possibility of cooperative effort between regions through Regional Disaster Department (BPBD) in several areas in East Java that are Malang region, Kediri, Pasuruan and Bojonegoro by knowing the standard and policy/program/activity target, the condition of resource, and the condition social politic and economy. The result of study analysis about handling the disaster have conclusion that the handling effort pre disaster and post disaster are very multi-dimensional. In the context of government authority, handling of disaster not only handle by one region government. This is where the concept of cooperation between regions (intergovernmental networks) in important to be expanded at the local level. The cooperation between local regions have potency the capacity of region government in order to share experiences, share advantages and share task/assessment together in improving the function of public services in each region government. Then, the result of study analysis also concludes the importance to strengthening BPBD institutions to facilitate the cooperation between governments in local regions in order of handling the disasters.

State-level Social Capital and MNCs’ Competitive Political Resources

Previous studies have focused on the effects of dyadic intergovernmental relationships on firm behavior and performance. This study presents a network approach to intergovernmental relationships and examines two moderating effects at the state and firm levels. This study argues that firm-level competitive political resources are a function of the state-level social capital derived from the structural position in intergovernmental networks, the political institutions of home governments, and foreign experiences of multinational corporations (MNCs). State-level social capital arises from home governments’ positions in intergovernmental networks and offers information and control benefits to MNCs. This study hypothesizes that structural position in intergovernmental networks positively impacts MNC behavior. Moreover, it predicts that political institutions facilitate home governments to leverage their social capital for domestic MNCs. Furthermore, it indicates that MNCs with greater foreign experience utilize political resources more effectively. This study employs data on state-level trade networks and MNC asset procurements in the global mining industry to test these predictions and find support for the model.

Adapting bridge infrastructure to climate change: institutionalizing resilience in intergovernmental transportation planning processes in the Northeastern USA

Multi-level governance networks provide both opportunities and challenges to mainstream climate change adaptation due to their routine decision-making and coordination processes. This paper explores institutionalizing resilience and adaptation to climate change in the intergovernmental transportation planning processes that address bridge infrastructure in the Northeastern United States (USA), specifically in Vermont and Maine. The research presented here relies on nine interviews with policy-makers and planners, a survey of transportation project prioritization criteria, development of a longitudinal bridge funding database, and its integration with publicly available geospatial data. It presents a novel spatial analysis methodology, a modified version of which could be adopted by transportation agencies for prioritizing scarce adaptation funds. Although transportation agencies are undertaking a variety of mitigation activities to address business-as-usual needs, climate change adaptation and resilience efforts remain underprioritized. Adaptation is a global concern, but impacts vary dramatically between regions and require localized solutions. Bridges and culverts, which are especially vulnerable to climate-induced flooding impacts, have complex maintenance and design processes and are subject to convoluted adaptation planning procedures. Critical gaps in resources and knowledge are barriers to improved adaptation planning. Restructuring the transportation project prioritization procedures used by planning organizations to explicitly include adaptation may provide a novel strategy to institutionalize resilience in transportation. These procedures must be considered in the context of the intergovernmental networks that exist to support transportation infrastructure. Although these networks will likely vary across countries, the approaches introduced here to study and address transportation infrastructure adaptation may be applied to many settings.

Governance and control in networks: a case study of the Universal Postal Union

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to adopt “whole network” perspective and analyzes the governance and control mechanisms in the Universal Postal Union (UPU), one of the oldest and largest inter-governmental networks, through the lens of institutional entrepreneurship theory. The purpose is to introduce a typology of network governance forms to the accounting literature and to analyze the governance and management control mechanisms within the UPU, a “participatory federation” (Provan, 1983) type of network that has managed the challenges of collective collaboration since 1875.Design/methodology/approach– The study benefits from unlimited access to all archival materials of the UPU such as minutes of Congress and committee meetings since 1875 as well as secondary documents and market studies related to the postal sector. The data reported in this study are derived from the archives of the UPU in Berne, Switzerland and interviews conducted with senior officials.Findings– Drawing on the work of Provan (1983) and Provan and Kenis (2008) the authors identify five “ideal type” network governance forms based on such variables as differences in the relative power of network participants and whether these networks have arisen spontaneously or due to external coercion, the authors classify the UPU as a “participatory federation.” Within the theoretical boundaries of this typology the authors identify the multi level governance structures and the use of management control mechanisms by each level of governance. The authors introduce a distinction between the “network constitutional organization” that focusses on the socialization of network members and strategy-level orchestration of the overall network and the “network administrative organization” (NAO) that mobilizes management accounting and control mechanisms to monitor, encourage and facilitate member collaboration. The authors propose that control within a participatory federation is enacted through collective entrepreneurship by governance bodies using management accounting and control mechanisms as institutional carriers.Research limitations/implications– The paper is focussed on the current state of the UPU’s network structure and processes and did not explore the dynamics around the emergence of the different network governance and control mechanisms. An exploration of the collective construction by network participants of the need for these mechanisms would provide insights into how they emerge and might lead to a better understanding of the role of NAOs in networks.Practical implications– The paper highlights the challenges faced by collaborative networks and identifies enabling characteristics of a participatory federation’s governance bodies. The empirical observations within the context of the UPU contribute to the theoretical understanding of the desirable characteristics of participatory federations that might be applicable to similar public and private collaborative networksOriginality/value– This study expands the knowledge of management accounting and control systems in networks. It bridges a gap in the accounting literature by adopting a “whole network” perspective and by differentiating types of network governance structures that use management accounting and control systems. This contributes to the understanding of accounting and control across the full range of organizational forms.

Federalism and Intergovernmental Networks: Reflections on Friedrich and Tullock

The concept of federalism has been discussed in various ways. In general, federalism means the doctrine or system of federal government. Federal government means a particular structure of government in which the division of powers between a central authority and regional authorities has been defined by a constitution. But there are many thoughts regarding federalism. The word federalism is often discussed as the process of federalizing rather than the structure of multi-tiered governments. Friedrich [1968] discussed federalism as the process of federalizing. Federalizing implies operating in the direction of not only disintegration but also integration. Tullock [1969] showed a theoretical model for deciding the degree to which government should be federalized. The degree depends on the cost and benefit of federalization. This paper explores the link between the process and outcome of federalizing from the viewpoints of intergovernmental networks and individual behavior.

The Politics of Accountability: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ARRA

Accountability has become an iconic concept in public management -- never more so than in the implementation of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), or the Obama Administration's stimulus. With more than $800 billion and economic growth on the line, the Administration placed its fiscal and political fortunes on the line with this high stakes policy management initiative. A strong emphasis on accountability would help the Administration offer symbolic reassurance to a restive Congress and public, and evidence suggests that ex ante design and ex post audits were successful in warding off characteristic fraud and abuse that often plagues such urgent and highly visible national initiatives. However, such outcomes were achieved at the expense of high administrative costs and significant conflicts among newly emboldened networks of top political officials, program managers and audit officials, all acting under the glare of greater public transparency for spending and jobs. The complex structure of over 200 programs and the reliance on decentralized intergovernmental networks may have diffused blame for embarrassing implementation lapses, but this same structure deprived the President of valuable credit claiming opportunities for the largely successful economic outcomes flowing from one of the largest domestic spending initiatives in postwar history. Notwithstanding credible economic impact estimates by CBO, a confused and bewildered public refused to believe that the stimulus had a favorable impact on a struggling economy.

NETWORKING FOR AUTONOMY? NATIONAL AGENCIES IN EUROPEAN NETWORKS

The environment of national agencies has changed considerably in recent years as they increasingly become engaged in European Union networks. This article contributes to a growing body of literature on those networks and their effect on executive politics at the national level by asking whether and how the EU involvement of national agencies affects the agencies' autonomy in policy formulation. We develop an analytical model for explaining the effect of EU involvement on agency autonomy. Analyzing data from a comprehensive survey of federal agencies in Germany, we find that EU involvement has a positive effect on national agencies' policy autonomy. Moreover, we find a somewhat stronger effect of agency involvement in sectoral networks on autonomy than in intergovernmental networks, which is attributed to information asymmetries between ministries and agencies. Yet this effect is weaker than initially expected, which can be explained by a considerable degree of overlap between different types of EU involvement.

L'émergence du droit administratif global

Les mecanismes emergents du droit administratif influencent la prise de decision et l’elaboration de la regle de droit au sein de la variete croissante des structures reglementaires mondiales. Ces dernieres incluent les organisations internationales, les reseaux intergouvernementaux, l’« administration distribuee » (distributed administration) ainsi que les regimes transnationaux hybrides public/prive et prives. Nous definissons le Droit Administratif Global (DAG) comme les principes, procedures et mecanismes d’examen emergents destines a gouverner la prise de decision et l’elaboration des normes de ces organes, en laissant en grande partie de cote le contenu substantiel des regles et en considerant les sources du DAG plus largement que les sources classiques du droit international public. Nous analysons ces sources, ainsi que les principes doctrinaux de transparence, de participation, de prise de decision raisonnee, de revision et les normes materielles qui se sont developpees. Nous nous tournons ensuite vers les conceptions des fondements normatifs du DAG des approches pluraliste, solidariste et cosmopolite a l’ordre international, et discutons des partis pris possibles inherents au DAG. Nous considerons par la suite les differentes strategies des dispositifs institutionnels pour construire le DAG selon les defis et opportunites qui se presentent, en passant de l’espace reglementaire national a l’espace transnational. Nous concluons que le Droit Administratif Global est un phenomene emergent important et particulier, meritant une etude systematique et un approfondissement.