Conference Agenda

In this paper, we explore the empirical relationship between levels of trust and governance capacity, next to an analysis of the relative importance of individual characteristics in explaining trust in local government.

We focus on trust as a crucial factor for legitimacy, policy compliance, and civic engagement. While high levels of trust foster cooperation, low trust can lead to disengagement and resistance to policies. Notably, people tend to trust their local government more than other policy levels. However, trust is not solely dependent on institutional proximity; it is also influenced by the governance capacity of (local) governments.

Like trust, governance capacity is a complex and multidimensional issue, shaped by structural, cultural, environmental, and personal factors. Moreover, it cannot be fully captured by quantitative indicators or reduced to discussions of scale or finances. In the case of Flanders, both endogenous and exogenous factors shape local governments’ governance capacity, ultimately determining their effectiveness in policy implementation and service delivery.

To assess governance capacity and trust in local government, we use several data sources:

Citizen Surveys are an important source for measuring governance capacity, as they provide insights into trust in government and perceptions of its performance. In this study, we use data from the surveys conducted by Statistics Flanders (2021-2025) and the Agency of Home Affairs of the Flemish government. Based on these data, we analyze how the perception of local governments correlate with the trust in them. Additionally, we control for socio-demographic characteristics and attitudes, such as social integration and interpersonal trust. Trust is local government is not only depending on the performance of the government as such, it is also depending on those more general attitudes and socio-demographic background.

In addition, administrative data offer objective measures of governance capacity by collecting information on municipalities and cities. This includes financial reports, policy outcomes, and performance indicators. By linking these data to survey responses, we gain a better understanding of how governmental performance and structural characteristics of local authorities influence citizens' trust.

Finaly, qualitative research data, such as case studies and stakeholder interviews, can help to understand governance challenges and identify best practices. By analyzing the experiences and perceptions of policymakers and stakeholders, we can complement the quantitative analysis and explain why certain governance challenges arise and how trust in government can be strengthened. However, I this paper we focus mainly on the use of quantitative measures to disentangle the relationship between governance capacity and trust in local government.

By leveraging diverse data sources, Flemish policymakers are able to develop evidence-based strategies to reinforce trust and improve governance effectiveness. However, strengthening local governance also requires a combination of institutional reforms, enhanced transparency, and active citizen engagement.

The provision of public services is a national task and is mostly ensured by local actors. Services like health provision, transport services, education and safeguarding of a functioning and resilient critical infrastructure are central to citizens. With the demographic change, rural peripherization and the cutback of increasingly privatized public services, renewing public service provision is a key challenge.

I differentiate between three pathways of how to innovate public service provision: Firstly, by digitalizing public services. Secondly, by encouraging new cooperation forms of the public with the private, citizen and civil society (Kovanen/Ulrich/Gailing) and, thirdly, by targeting at transborder collaboration – ranging from inner-state inter-municipal to inter-state cross-border international cooperation.

My contribution to the panel “substantive and subnational: local and regional policy in(ter)action” by the EGPA Permanent Study Group IV on “Regional and Local Governance” refers to the two latter categories: To cross-border international-euroregional public service delivery and to the cooperation with civil society and citizens.

Cross-border international regional and local governance and relations are main achievements of EU integration. More than 30 % of the EU population lives in border regions which represent 40% of the overall EU territory. Moreover, over 200 so-called “Euroregions”, “Euregios” or “Eurodistricts” have been created all over Europe to foster euroregional encounters of the transborder communities. Cross-border regions have thus been labelled as micro-laboratories of EU integration as it is experienced on a daily basis. In addition to this, cooperation across borders provides new spaces of opportunities and experimentation. Cross-border areas are thus crucial places for innovating public service provision (Ulrich/Cyrus/Jańczak 2025). The example of the Corona pandemic shows that these places were central for cross-border health provision as many hospitals in border regions provided beds and equipment for the transborder society (Cyrus/Ulrich 2022).

The paper aims at theorizing cross-border aspects of public service provision and at empirically assessing cross-border public service provision in a euroregional setting. Based on empirical interviews with representatives of Euroregions, city administrations, civil society and private partners, I investigate the state of the art, assumed opportunities and barriers when it comes to conceptualize public services in a transnational-euroregional manner. Finally, approaches and mechanisms of interregional learnings to adapt best practices from other border regions (Thurm/Ulrich/Wenzelburger 2024) are discussed.

The digital transformation of public administration is widely considered the most relevant trend among current public sector innovation. At all levels of government, it is expected to fundamentally reshape institutional settings as well as governance practices, and is associated with an increase in efficiency and effectiveness in public service delivery. However, in empirical reality, digitalisation often falls short of these expectations both for citizens and for administrative staff, in particular in small municipalities at the local level of public administration. Based on the results of a three-year research project (Gräfe et al. 2024a), this article analyses the current state of digitalisation in selected areas of local public administration in Germany and examines implementation dynamics at the local level, particularly drivers for substantial digital transformation.

Drawing on a conceptualisation of internal and external drivers for digital transformation, we argue that it largely depends on the governance framework, available internal capacities, the socio-technological environment, as well as citizens and stakeholders as external enablers, in how improvements through digitalisation are perceived. Methodologically, the article employs a mixed-methods approach, utilising both qualitative interview data (n = 79 interviewees) and quantitative survey data (n = 1,752) in four specific areas of German public administration. These are: vehicle registration, issuing of building permits, tax administration, and parental services relating to the birth of a child.

By focusing on public services with a comparatively high digital maturity, the article offers three main insights: First, it assesses the current state of digitalisation in local German administrations, showing that even in advanced areas, digitalisation-related inefficiencies and unintended effects related to digitalisation still impact enforcement agencies. Second, it highlights the crucial role of internal drivers, such as leadership, dedicated staff, and employee engagement, in driving meaningful digital transformation at the local level. Finally, it provides empirical evidence that successful digital transformation should focus more on improving internal administrative processes rather than just digitising interactions between the public and administration.

The research explores the role of digital platforms in public service provision. It analyses a specific authorisation service provided by local governments to businesses: the “One Stop Shop for Productive Activities” (“Sportello Unico per le Attività Produttive”, SUAP) in the Tuscany Region (Italy).

This research aims to understand how digital platform impact on the activities and behaviour of the actors involved in the public service delivery (RQ1), and how digital platform reshape communication and collaboration dynamics among the actors involved in service delivery (RQ2).

Adopting a mixed-method approach, this study analyses qualitative data from 17 semi-structured interviews and quantitative data from surveys involving 715 respondents over the period between October 2020 and July 2023. It collects evidence on the impact of digital platform adoption on the various actors involved in the service delivery (municipalities; professionals appointed by the businesses: accountants, surveyors, engineers; Fire Brigade; Local Health Authority; Superintendency; Region; Chamber of Commerce).

This research integrates Actor-Network Theory (ANT) and Stakeholder Salience Theory. ANT’s flat ontology reveals emergent relationships among actors, while Stakeholder Salience Theory categorizes actors based on power, legitimacy, and urgency attributes.

Results show that digital platform has standardized the submission phase, reducing errors through pre-filled templates, but fails to integrate post-submission processes, forcing actors to rely on traditional communication tools, like certified emails.

Digital platform may increase ‘sectoral’ efficiency, related to specific stages of provision process. Here, platform design is crucial. Moreover, digital platform changes influence dynamics, reshaping the influence of the actors involved in this process. Particularly, it actively reshapes the criteria of power, legitimacy and urgency that determine stakeholder influence. It is not neutral tools but active shaper of governance dynamics.

This research contributes to the discussion on the digital platform in public service by focusing on its impact on actors’ dynamics. It advances the debate on the digital platform governance in public service, revealing that these can reshape influence hierarchies among actors. From methodological perspective, the integration of ANT and Stakeholder Salience Theory offers a novel lens to analyse digital platforms in public service. Finally, this research raises relevant questions for future investigation. It also provides practical implications for policymakers seeking to enhance the effectiveness and adaptability of digital public service.