From ‘de jure’ to ‘de facto’ decentralised public policies: The multi-level governance approach

Abstract

This contribution recalls the existing interdependencies across levels of government and elaborates on the multi-level governance gaps framework to identify coordination and capacity reinforcement tools to improve public policy outcomes in decentralised contexts. It details how the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has adopted this approach. This paper then focuses on one of the tools used by countries and regions – Contracts. Contracts across levels of government, though not exempt of drawbacks, can favour information-sharing and mutual understanding as to how to address common policy priorities, while reducing the transaction costs of policy implementation; and generate trust between public actors for their future endeavours. The last section underlines some more general observations and questions like the use of multi-level governance approach to preserve the ‘biodiversity’ of regions. The note concludes with the need to re-insert relationships with people and not only among public authorities in a ‘new generation’ multi-level governance framework.