Transnational city networks are reshaping how governance works across borders. The authors, Pier Domenico Tortola and Katherine Arena (University of Groningen), assert that the usual distinction in multilevel governance studies between fixed territorial levels of authority and flexible, specialized jurisdictions, does not fully capture institutional realities. Transnational city networks are located in the hybrid space between these models: they link municipalities horizontally, influence national and EU institutions vertically, and operate beyond traditional boundaries. The report lays the conceptual groundwork for examining how city networks tackle issues such as climate change and digitalization, in connection with the broader multilevel governance landscape.

Read the full report here: Publications – RECODE-MLG