Local Government Resilience and Institutional Adaptation in Europe’s Shifting Landscape

The past years have demonstrated the fundamental role of European local governments as they confront a continuous wave of reform, crises, and profound global shifts. While national politics often bear the main burden, municipalities are the primary level of social organization where these challenges—ranging from climate change and migration to economic instability and the populist turn—manifest directly at the community level. This critical environment necessitates continuous re-institutionalisation processes, often disturbing the traditional balance in local politics and eroding longstanding path-dependencies. This section invites research exploring how local authorities navigate and respond to this intricate multi-level governance framework, where local, regional, national, and supranational authorities intersect. Local governments are essential players who must negotiate responsibilities and resources with higher levels of governance, frequently engaging in cross-border and transnational cooperation to address global issues. The panels in this section scrutinize the capacity of municipalities to act as effective agents of change and accommodate these external pressures, considering how they implement practical responses such as climate resilience strategies, managing migration flows, and addressing economic inequalities. Furthermore, papers addressing the less exposed dimension of local leadership are encouraged, focusing on how mayors and councillors deal with the radical uncertainty inherent in crisis management and rapid change. A central focus remains the institutional health and democratic integrity of local governance. The continuous wave of reform has led to a broad patchwork of new formal structures and informal mechanisms, norms, rules, and processes which organize life in local communities. We seek papers that discuss the consequences of these institutional changes for the democratic and functional operation of contemporary local governance, addressing core dimensions like the functioning of local council, the role of the mayor, top managers and administrative organization, and civil society. Presentations are encouraged on traditional concepts such as scale, scope, and finance, alongside newer notions like technological revolution and feminization. Finally, amid growing public dissatisfaction and polarization, the question of democratic revitalization is paramount. We seek papers addressing how local authorities maintain democratic engagement, exploring topics like local elections, citizen participation, and innovations in democratic processes such as citizen’s juries or participatory budgeting. This includes assessing the adaptability of local democracy in addressing the particular needs of diverse and marginalized communities. By drawing on subfields such as comparative politics, political economy, public policy, and urban studies, this section aims to foster an interdisciplinary dialogue on the future of local governance.