The Theory of Multi-level Governance: Conceptual, Empirical, and Normative Challenges

What does
multi-level governance
really mean? What types of decision-making processes does it indicate? Which normative issues does it raise? MLG is a widely accepted descriptor of authoritative decision-making in the European Union. Yet because of its descriptive capacity it runs the risk of becoming
over-stretched . This book defines clearly MLG’s conceptual space and empirical reach by analysing three different policy areas - cohesion (redistributive), environment (regulatory), and higher education (constitutional) - and by discussing the normative implications of governing through MLG arrangements. It concludes by pointing to the novel ways in which public authorities mobilize in the EU
as if
they were private interests and interest groups and civil society organizations contribute to authoritative decision- and policy-making
as if
they were public authorities. The blurring of private and public, that so many governance theories announce, here acquires a particularly vivid meaning.