Europeanisation of the Urban Level: Evaluating the Impact of the EU on Local Governance in Britain

Marshall, Adam. (2004) Europeanisation of the Urban Level: Evaluating the Impact of the EU on Local Governance in Britain. In: UNSPECIFIED, Sheffield, UK.

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Abstract

EU initiatives provide urban institutions and actors across Europe with new and unprecedented access to information, legitimacy, and not least, financial support. From established local authorities to fledgling neighbourhood partnerships, actors across the urban spectrum see increased European involvement as a central component of innovative governance. Using the framework articulated by the UACES/ESRC study group on the Europeanisation of British Politics and Policy-Making, this paper argues that researchers must extend the study of Europeanisation to the urban level. I argue that European working provokes shifts in the institutionalised norms, beliefs, and values of British urban actors, and use a four-part typology of urban Europeanisation to evaluate this phenomenon with reference to Birmingham and Glasgow. The paper emphasises that most Europeanisation occurring among British urban actors has been voluntary-indirect – both local authorities and nonstatutory actors have embraced European working as a result of their interaction with EU Structural Fund programmes over the course of the past two decades.

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