Check out this free access article from our Special Issue| Multilevel governance as a strategy to build capacity in cities: Evidence from Sweden, by Jon Pierre

This article can be found in the Special Issue of the Journal of Urban Affairs regarding new urban governance.

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Multilevel governance as a strategy to build capacity in cities: Evidence from Sweden, by Jon Pierre

Abstract

Multilevel governance has opened up important new transnational spaces for cities in their pursuit of policy learning and knowledge building. Knowledge and expertise as elements of urban capacity building are becoming more important as cities are now expected to address increasingly complex issues. Drawing on a case study of the policy internationalization of the city of Gothenburg in Sweden, the article argues that joining international projects has provided the city access to networks where knowledge and expertise on complex technical issues are shared among cities through learning and replication. The article draws on analyses of documents from the European Union (EU) and the city of Gothenburg and also on a series of interviews during 2015 with staff at the City of Gothenburg Office and the city’s European Office in Brussels.