The Nuts and Bolts of Local Governance

What makes local governance implementation work? Frequently, it is dependent on the collaboration of different public and/or private actors. How can their compliance – apart from hierarchical control – be assured? While the role of discourses and frames has been analysed and acknowledged for policy formulation and implementation at the national, regional and even European level, the effects of public discourse have not yet been specifically addressed in local governance implementation. The goal of the paper is to shed light on the topic of how policies are implemented at the local level: How do networks of actors – tied together through concepts, ideas and frames – successfully execute measures in selected policy fields? The paper draws heavily on the results of the EU-funded WILCO project. Münster, a middle-sized town in Germany, serves as an example for the implementation of governance arrangements in the areas of child care, housing and labour market policy. Results of document analyses (minutes and proposals of the municipal council, party programmes, and newspaper articles), expert interviews (18) and focus groups (3) show the dominance of an “investment discourse” and of a “competitiveness and investment frame”, which is unanimously referred to in order to legitimize action and allocate funds in Münster. The strong epistemic community – including politicians, members of the local administration and local entrepreneurs – formed around this dominant frame transcends traditional cleavages and various political milieus. Thereby, policy formulation and implementation in accordance with the hegemonic discourse are significantly facilitated, whereas deviant approaches and ideas as well as new local actors face a difficult environment or even have no chances at all.