Articulating scales of governance: from local to global.

This attempt at a definition of the contours of the thematic put forward by the IRG is in itself subject to debate and will be progressively refined through future activities on the subject.

Few social, economic, environmental or cultural problems can be dealt with today on one level of governance, or be the remit of only one institution. Going from the particularities of municipal action, through the issue of a form of global governance having passed through intermediary decision-making levels (state, sub-region etc.) the management of the way we ‘live together’ cannot be solved by isolated approaches or by a strict division of remit areas. The IRG proposes to bring together analyses and experiences that deal with dialogue processes and the establishment of links between different scales of government, notably those that are defined by the principle of ‘active subsidiarity’, by which each territory and each level of governance attempts to bring specific responses to issues that must be collectively dealt with. If this concerns the resolution of conflicts, sustainable development, territorial or urban management, we hope to understand how, out of respect for diversity and the potential of each involved actor, the combination of scales can enable greater unity in action.