Regionalisation in the Gdańsk area: Virtual disintegration and functional cooperation

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present some of the key obstacles and general conditions which shape regional cooperation between municipalities of Poland's third largest agglomeration of Gdańsk, also called Tri‐City.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines the role of leadership in organizations representing business interests, and the competing and conflicting perspectives on the “right” scale to do so – local and/or regional, drawing on participatory insights into the relevant processes.

Findings

It is found that economic competition and post‐1990 neo‐liberal governance practices enhance the isolationism and rivalry between localities within the agglomeration. Any public claims to “cooperation” are mainly limited to the practicalities of public transportation. Individual actors and their personalities and policy‐making abilities play a key part in any collaborative agenda, often pushed by EU funding conditions that require institutional collaboration.

Originality/value

The obstacles to, and mechanisms of, city‐regional governance are very topical. The contribution of this paper is timely and offers a rare insight into the competing ambitions and “visions” in local public administration after the end of communist‐era top‐down government.

Citation

Czepczyński, M. (2009), "Regionalisation in the Gdańsk area: Virtual disintegration and functional cooperation", International Journal of Public Sector Management, Vol. 22 No. 3, pp. 249-259. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513550910949226