Scholarship of multi-level governance has developed into one of the most innovative themes of research in political science and public policy. This accessible Handbook presents a thorough review of the wide-ranging literature, encompassing various theoretical and conceptual approaches to multi-level governance and their application to policy-making in domestic, regional and global contexts. The importance of multi-level governance in specific policy areas is highlighted, and the contributors - an international group of highly renowned scholars - report on the ways in which their field of specialization is or may be affected by multi-level governance and how developments could affect its conceptualization. European integration is considered from its unique standpoint as the key catalyst in the development of multi-level approaches, and the use of multi-level governance in other parts of the world, at both domestic and regional levels, is also considered in detail before focus is shifted towards global governance. The Handbook concludes with a presentation of six policy fields and instruments affected by multi-level governance, including: social policy, environmental policy, economic policy, international taxation, standard-setting and policing. This comprehensive Handbook takes stock of the vast array of multi-level governance theory and research developed in subfields of political science and public policy, and as such will provide an invaluable reference tool for scholars, researchers and students with a special interest in public policy, regulation and governance. Contributors: M.W. Bauer, M. Beisheim, A. Benz, T.A. Börzel, D. Braun, T. Büthe, S. Campe, S. Clarkson, H. Enderlein, B. Geys, A. Graser, T.N. Hale, M. Hallerberg, A. Hassel, E. Herschinger, S. Hix, L. Hooghe, C. Humrich, M. Jachtenfuchs, C. Jeffery, I. Kaul, K.A. Konrad, C. Kraft-Kasack, S. Kuhnle, G. Marks, W. Mattli, F.W. Mayer, A. Obydenkova, B. Rittberger, T. Rixen, A. Sbragia, M. Schäferhoff, F.W. Scharpf, J.A. Scholte, M.A. Schreurs, A.-M. Slaughter, M.B. Stein, W. Swenden, L. Turkewitsch, S. Wälti, B. Zangl, M. Zürn

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Contents: Introduction Michael Zürn, Sonia Wälti and Henrik Enderlein PART I: ANALYTICAL APPROACHES 1. Types of Multi-level Governance Liesbet Hooghe and Gary Marks 2. Federalism and Optimal Allocation Across Levels of Governance Benny Geys and Kai A. Konrad 3. Multi-level Games Frederick W. Mayer 4. Multi-level Europe – The Case for Multiple Concepts Fritz W. Scharpf 5. Global Governance as Multi-level Governance Michael Zürn PART II: MULTI-LEVEL GOVERNANCE IN THE DOMESTIC CONTEXT 6. Subnational Participation in National Decisions: The Role of Second Chambers Wilfried Swenden 7. Multi-level Governance, Decentralization and Fiscal Federalism Mark Hallerberg 8. Multi-level Party Competition in Federal and Regional States Charlie Jeffery 9. Multi-level Governance and Organized Interests Anke Hassel 10. Multi-level Governance in Germany and Switzerland Dietmar Braun 11. Multi-level Governance in Canadian and American Intergovernmental Relations Michael B. Stein and Lisa Turkewitsch PART III: THE EU AS A MULTI-LEVEL SYSTEM 12. The Institutional Framework of the European Union Markus Jachtenfuchs 13. The European Union as a Loosely Coupled Multi-level System Arthur Benz 14. Party Politics in the European Union Simon Hix 15. Multi-level Governance and Parliaments in the European Union Berthold Rittberger 16. Regions and the European Union Michael W. Bauer and Tanja A. Börzel PART IV: MULTI-LEVEL GOVERNANCE AND COMPARATIVE REGIONALISM 17. Multi-level Governance and Comparative Regionalism Alberta Sbragia 18. Multi-modal Governance in North America Stephen Clarkson 19. Multi-level Governance in Post-Soviet Eurasia: Problems and Promises Anastassia Obydenkova 20. Multi-level Governance the ASEAN Way Miranda A. Schreurs PART V: GLOBAL GOVERNANCE 21. The Changing Role of the United Nations: Lessons for Multi-level Governance Inge Kaul 22. Global Governance through Legislation Christoph Humrich and Bernhard Zangl 23. Transgovernmental Networks and Multi-level Governance Anne-Marie Slaughter and Thomas N. Hale 24. Global Governance through Public–Private Partnerships Marianne Beisheim, Sabine Campe and Marco Schäferhoff 25. Civil Society in Multi-level Governance Jan Aart Scholte PART VI: POLICY AREAS 26. Social Policy and Multi-level Governance Alexander Graser and Stein Kuhnle 27. Multi-level Environmental Governance Sonia Wälti 28. Economic Policy-making and Multi-level Governance Henrik Enderlein 29. International Taxation and Multi-level Governance Thomas Rixen 30. Standards for Global Markets: Domestic and International Institutions Tim Büthe and Walter Mattli 31. International Policing: Embedding the State Monopoly of Force Eva Herschinger, Markus Jachtenfuchs and Christiane Kraft-Kasack Index