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Theory and Practice of Intergovernmental Relations

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What are the major dimensions along which the theory and practice of intergovernmental relations can vary? What explains variations across space and time?

Intergovernmental relations (IGR) is a field that focuses on interactions between governments, namely at the international, regional, and domestic levels. Central to the field is the study of how governments interact with each other and how they structure their national governments. IGR examines various topics such as international organizations, regional integration, foreign policy, federalism, and decentralization. The work of the theories in this field comes from the range of academic disciplines most likely to have contact with government agencies or have an interest in developing government institutions. These include political science, sociology, history, and economics.

The field of Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) is concerned with the relationship between central governments and lower levels of government. It encompasses questions about conceptualizing this relationship, which should involve each level of government in decision-making, what sort of autonomy lower levels should have in making policy choices, and how subnational governments should interact with one another. Although it has tended to focus on the national government and its relationship to state or provincial subnational governments, there is an increasing amount of scholarship focusing on the relationships between different levels of local government (Cardoso de Araujo, 2022).

The major themes in IGR are closely tied to the main theories used by researchers in this field. The first dimension of IGR can vary between rationalist and behavioralist perspectives. Rationalist theories argue that state actors make decisions based on a careful cognitive weighing up of all options before making a choice that will allow them to achieve their goals. Behavioralist theories argue that decision-making occurs irrationally, with actions based on immediate cues rather than some long-term plan. This dimension also affects how we view it.

The functional theory assumes that governments will operate to carry out those functions that would be difficult or costly for individuals to provide for themselves. This would include national defense, law enforcement, and infrastructure construction. The state's responsibilities are seen as universal, as opposed to being vested in a particular government or government actor. The problem with this perspective is that it fails to account for variations between nations in the size and scope of national governments and between different levels of government within nations. Some countries have strong centralized governments with high authority, while others have a more decentralized system with comparatively little central control. The functional theory tries to account for this by describing how different levels of government might coordinate their activities; this is called horizontal coordination.

What explanations do the authors bring forward that offer possible insights into the new focus on the dimensions of intergovernmental relations?

The authors of the articles focus on the dimensions of intergovernmental relations, which is an important part of maintaining good relations between a government and its citizens. The authors bring forward several explanations for the new focus, and they are as follows:

The first explanation focuses on the presidential elections in America. According to this explanation, due to the recent presidential election, there have been changes in America's foreign policy, leading to a decrease in interest in international relations. This change is mostly seen in America's foreign policy in Asia and many other parts of the world.

Besides, that focuses changes in America are based on the fact that some new players in America's politics have changed the rules of how politics are done and how it is seen among certain people. Due to these new players, there has been an increase in the need for diplomacy between countries. This has led to a different approach from China and Russia towards America and each other.

Lastly, another explanation focuses on the position of America as a superpower, which has led to different approaches for different countries toward America. This change is mostly seen in foreign policy and negotiations between countries belonging to the G8 (a club of eight nations)  (Fattore & Riccucci, 2021).

Lastly, they cite the lack of consensus on what constitutes effective foreign policies as another factor leading to a shift in focus from military force towards soft power and public diplomacy as tools for achieving government objectives. The authors also point out that this new focus has not been lost on other states; nations are now attempting to use soft power and public diplomacy as foreign policy instruments to counterbalance American dominance.

As discussed above, these authors believe that there have been significant changes in how governments address foreign policy challenges and implement strategies for responding to them since 9/11. They point out 9/11 was a major turn (Canel & Voltmer, 2020).

The author of the article "New Dimensions in Intergovernmental Relations: The Evolution of the Climate Change Regime," provides a list of explanations for why governments around the world have chosen to work together on climate change. First, she points out that US's economic and technological power has declined since World War II, making it harder for it to lead the world order. Second, she states that globalization has increased international interdependence and necessitated global governance. Thirdly, changes in the international system have rendered control strategies of the past ineffective. Lastly, she notes that increased awareness of human-induced climate change has led to the rise of collective action problems, which both require and justify a new approach to cooperation.

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