Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

From Formal Political Contacts to Cross-Border Collaborative Networks: A Network Analysis of Partnership Operations in the Spree-Neiße-Bober Euroregion

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Networks in the Global World V (NetGloW 2020)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems ((LNNS,volume 181))

Included in the following conference series:

  • 255 Accesses

Abstract

This article discusses the cooperation network emerging as a result of the actions of a cross-border organization, whose scope of responsibility is the Spree-Neiße-Bober Euroregion. The task of Euroregions is to support local communities in cross-border regions in dealing with the complexity associated with the problems of the modern public sphere. Partnerships that emerge as part of Euroregions, form governance networks. A distinctive feature of their construction on the border is the inter-sectoral as well as the international nature of the actors. The basic questions formulated by this presentation refer to three areas: network construction, network relations, and the network’s contribution to policymaking. The main research area is in analyzing the development of relationships between participants of the Euroregion (the inhabitants and organizations), and its role in policymaking and meeting the needs of local communities in the cross-border region. The theoretical framework has been designed around the three main explicatory perspectives: regionalization and soft spaces, network theory, and governance networks. The presented conclusions are the result of the SNA (Social Network Analysis) of participants in projects implemented in the Euroregion in 2019 under the European Territorial Cooperation Fund, Interreg IVA, and qualitative interviews (the leaders of 34 projects).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    The European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation between Territorial Communities or Authorities (May 21, 1980). The European Charter of Local Self-government (October 15, 1985).

  2. 2.

    Treaty between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Poland, 1990.

  3. 3.

    The Polish-German Treaty of Good Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, 1991.

  4. 4.

    The development of the cross-border cooperation network in the SNBE was described in detail in previous publications of the authors of this article [23, 24].

  5. 5.

    European Regional Development Fund as part of the Cross-border Cooperation Operational Programme – Poland (Lubuskie) – Brandenburg 2007–2013.

References

  1. Knoke, D.: Changing Organizations: Business Networks in the New Political Economy. Boulder, CO, Westview (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Granados, F.J., Knoke, D.: Organized interest groups and policy networks. In: Janoski, T., Alford, R.R., Hicks, A.M., Schwartz, M.A. (eds.) The Handbook of Political Sociology. States, Civil Societies, and Globalization, pp. 287–309. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  3. McPherson, M., Smith-Lovin, L., Cook, J.M.: Birds of a feather: homophily in social networks. Annu. Rev. Soc. 27, 415–444 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.27.1.415

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Folke, C., Colding, J., Berkes, F.: Synthesis: building resilience and adaptive capacity in social–ecological systems. In: Berkes, F., Colding, J., Folke, C. (eds.) Navigating Social–Ecological Systems: Building Resilience for Complexity and Change, pp. 352–387. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Bodin, Ö., Crona, B., Ernstson, H.: Social Networks in Natural Resource Management: What Is There to Learn from a Structural Perspective? Ecology and Society (2006). http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol11/iss2/resp2/ Accessed 05 May 2020

  6. Pappi, F.U., Henning, C.C.A.: Policy networks: More than a metaphor? J. Theor. Politics 10, 553–575 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Kenis, P, Schneider, V.: Policy networks and policy analysis: Scrutinizing a new analytical tool box. In: Marinand, B., Mayntz, R. (eds.) Policy Networks: Empirical Evidence and Theoretical Considerations pp. 25–62. Westview Press, Boulder, Co. (1991)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Knoke, D.: Political Networks: The Structural Perspective. Cambridge University Press, New York (1990)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  9. Klijn, E.H., Koppenjan, J.: Governance Networks in the Public Sector. Routledge, New York (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Klijn, E.H., Steijn, B., Edelenbos, J.: The impact of network management strategies on the outcomes in governance networks. Public Admin. 88 (4), 1063–1082 (2010) https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.2010.01826.x

  11. Mandell, M., Keast, R.: A new look at leadership in collaborative networks: process catalysts. In: Raffel, J., Leisink, P., Middlebrooks, A. (eds.) Public Sector Leadership: International Challenges and Perspectives, pp. 163–178. Edward Elgar Publishing, United Kingdom (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Piattoni, S.: The Theory of Multi-level Governance: Conceptual, Empirical, and Normative Challenges. Oxford University Press, New York (2010)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  13. Bieniada, R.: Regionalizm i regionalizacja w definicji. Wybrane problemy teoretyczne [Regionalism in Definition. Selected Theoretical Problems]. Kwartalnik Naukowy Ośrodka Analiz Politycznych Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego ‘e-Politikon’ [e-Politikon. Political Science Quarterly of the Centre for Political Analysis of the University of Warsaw] (6), 281–299 (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Klatt, M.: Mobile regions: competitive regional cocepts (not only) in the Danish-German border region. In: Andersen, D.J., Klatt, M., Sandberg, M. (eds.) The Border Multiple: The Practicing of Borders between Public Policy and Everyday Life in a Re-scaling Europe, pp. 55–73. Aldershot and Burlington Publisher, Ashgate (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Paasi, A.: The resurgence of the ‘Region’ and ‘Regional Identity’: theoretical perspectives and empirical observations on regional dynamics in Europe. Rev. Int. Stud. 35, 121–146 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1017/S0260210509008456

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. OECD/SWAC, Cross-border Co-operation and Policy Networks in West Africa, West African Studies, Paris: OECD Publishing (2017) http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264265875-en

  17. Kaczmarek, T.: Struktury terytorialno-administracyjne i ich reformy w krajach europejskich [Territorial and Administrative Structures and their Reforms in European Countries]. Wydawnictwo Naukowe UAM, Poznań (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  18. Sohn, C.: Cross-border regions. In: Paasi, A., Harrison, J., Jones, M. (eds.) Handbook on the Geographies of Regions and Territories, pp. 298–310. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham (2018)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  19. Durand, F., Nelles, J.: Cross-border governance within the Eurometropolis Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai (ELKT) through the example of cross-border public transportation. CEPS/INSTEAD, Working Papers 16, (2012), https://www.liser.lu/?type=module&id=104&tmp=2652 Accessed 07 May 2019

  20. Perkmann, M.: Institutional entrepreneurship in the European Union. In: Perkman, M., Sum, N.-L. (eds.) Globalization, Regionalization and Cross-Border Regions, pp. 103–124. Palgrave Macmillan, New York (2002)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  21. Allmendinger, P., Haughton, G., Knieling, J., Othengrafen, F. (eds.): Soft Spaces in Europe: Re-negotiating Governance, Boundaries and Borders. Routledge, London (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Andersen, D.J., Klatt, M., Sandberg, M. (eds.): The Border Multiple: The Practicing of Borders between Public Policy and Everyday Life in a Re-scaling Europe. Aldershot and Burlington Publisher, Ashgate (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  23. Frątczak-Müller, J., Mielczarek-Żejmo, A.: Cross-border partnerships – the impact of institutions on creating the borderland communities (the case of Spree-Neiße-Bober Euroregion). Innov. Euro. J. Soc. Sci. Res. 29(1), 77–97 (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  24. Frątczak-Müller, J., Mielczarek-Żejmo, A.: Networks of cross-border cooperation in Europe – the interests and values. The case of Spree–Neisse–Bober Euroregion. Euro. Plan. Stud. 28(1), 8–34 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2019.1623972

  25. Strihan, A.: A network-based approach to regional borders: the case of Belgium. Reg. Stud. 42(4), 539–554 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Perkmann, M.: Construction of new territorial scales: a framework and case study of the EUREGIO cross-border region. Reg. Study 41(2), 253–266 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1080/00343400600990517

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Borgatti, S.P., Halgin, D.S.: On network theory. J. Organ. Sci. 22, 1157–1167 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Perkmann, M.: Policy entrepreneurs, multi-level governance and policy networks in the European policy: The case of the EUREGIO. Lancaster University, Lancaster (2002). http://www.comp.lancs.ac.uk/sociology/papers/Perkmann-Policy-Entrepreneurs.pdf Accessed 01 May 2019

  29. DeMarco, T., Lister, T.: Czynnik ludzki. Skuteczne przedsięwzięcia i wydajne zespoły [Human factor. Successful ventures and efficient teams]. Wydawnictwo Naukowo-Techniczne, Warszawa (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  30. Dörry, S., Decoville, A.: Transportation policy networks in cross-border regions. First results from a social network analysis in Luxembourg and the greater region. Euro. Urban Reg. Stud. 23(1), 69–85 (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  31. Svenson, S.: The bordered world of cross-border cooperation: the determinants of local government contact networks within Euroregions. Reg. Federal Stud. 25(3), 277–295 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Babu, S.C.: Policy processes and food price crises: a framework for analysis and lessons from country studies. In: Pinstrup-Andersen, P. (ed.) Food Price Policy in an Era of Market Instability: A Political Economy Analysis. Oxford University Press, Oxford (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  33. Fowler, J.H., Christakis, N.: Cooperative behavior cascades in human social networks. Proc. National Acad. Sci. 107(12), 5334–5338 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Babiński, G. Pogranicza stare i nowe. Ciągłość i zmiana procesów społecznych [New and Old Borderlands. Continuity and change of social processes]. In: Krzysztofek, K., Sadowski, A. (eds.) Pogranicza etniczne w Europie. Harmonia i konflikty [Ethnic Borderlands in Europe. Harmony and Conflicts], pp. 69–92. Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu w Białymstoku, Białystok (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  35. Kurcz, Z.: Powrót pograniczy. Entuzjazm, normalność, problemy [The Return of the Borderlands. Enthusiasm, Normality, Problems]. In: Frysztacki, K., Sztompka, P. (eds.) Polska początku XXI wieku: przemiany kulturowe i cywilizacyjne [Poland at the beginning of the 21st century: cultural and civilization chan ges], pp. 461–482. Polska Akademia Nauk, Warszawa (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  36. Council of Europe. European outline convention on transfrontier cooperation between territorial communities or authorities. European Treaty Series No. 106. Council of Europe, Strasbourg (1982)

    Google Scholar 

  37. Greta, M., Stanisławski, R.: The significance of Euroregions in the process of achieving social and economic cohesion in the European Union. In: Stanisławski, R., Greta, M., Maciaszczyk, A. (eds.) Structural funds for the socio-economic development of the Lodz Region in the perspective of experiences of Polish regions, pp. 213–225. Politechnika Łódzka Press, Łódź (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  38. Brym, M.: The integration of European Union borderlands: a case study of Polish opinions on cross-border cooperation along the Polish-German border. Univ. Fraser Valley Res. Rev. 3(3), 15–33 (2011), http://journals.ufv.ca/rr/RR33/article-PDFs/2-brym.pdf Accessed 26 May 2019

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Zielona Góra, Zielona Góra, Poland

    Joanna Frątczak-Müller & Anna Mielczarek-Żejmo

Authors
  1. Joanna Frątczak-Müller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Anna Mielczarek-Żejmo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joanna Frątczak-Müller .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. St. Petersburg University, Centre for German and European Studies, St. Petersburg, Russia

    Artem Antonyuk

  2. St. Petersburg University, Centre for German and European Studies, St. Petersburg, Russia

    Nikita Basov

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Frątczak-Müller, J., Mielczarek-Żejmo, A. (2021). From Formal Political Contacts to Cross-Border Collaborative Networks: A Network Analysis of Partnership Operations in the Spree-Neiße-Bober Euroregion. In: Antonyuk, A., Basov, N. (eds) Networks in the Global World V. NetGloW 2020. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 181. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64877-0_17

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation