Cross-border co-operation, institutionalization and political space acrossthe English Channel

Cross-border initiatives are based on flexible co-operative networks and ha ve many of the characteristics which the institutionalist perspective argue s are often present in regions that have developed effective institutional forms. Transfrontier programmes involving local authorities in northern Fra nce and southern England are examined. The paper explores the significance of cross-border strategies for the development and restructuring of the rol e of local governance in institutional arrangements and territories. It als o considers the interaction between cross-border spaces, the transnational spatial planning regions promoted by the European Commission and the emergi ng regional politics of South East England.