Competence ring-fencing from below? The drivers of regional demands for control over upwards dispersion

Abstract:

Powers have been transferred and delegated to varying degrees of depth and scope at both the sub- and supranational levels. The resulting competence overlap is sometimes substantial. This has driven a number of regional authorities to demand a greater say in future power dispersion movements to the supranational level, so as to pre-empt their proportional disempowerment.

We investigate what drives these demands using interview data collected from over 300 senior regional officials in 60 regions and five countries. Controlling for economic and demographic characteristics, we find that the status quo institutional arrangement in place for each region, both supranationally (the Committee of the Regions) and domestically (shared rule and self-rule) significantly affects such demands. These findings have implications for our understanding of how different public authorities cope with power dispersion. They also shed some light on the factors which shape their preferences for alternative institutional arrangements.