Disclosing the Relational Structure of Institutional Cross-border Cooperation in Two Cross-border Regions in Europe

ABSTRACT

Cross-border cooperation (CBC) has evolved as a crucial objective of the European Union and an object of extensive research. As an intrinsically relational process wherein networks and cooperation are integral to understanding the CBC, social capital and social network analysis offer a complementary perspective. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews with experts and secondary sources. This paper contributes using social network analysis to examine and describe the network structure of institutional CBC and Interreg programs in two different cross-border regions. The results address the importance of the visualization of less and more integrated areas and the identification of key institutional actors in CBC.

Acknowledgements

We are very grateful to the experts and politicians from the southern regions of Alentejo, Algarve and Andalucía, and from the southern region of Finland and Estonia who participated in this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was partially supported by the ESEIS, Social Studies and Social Intervention Research Centre (University of Huelva, Spain, www.eseis.es). We wish to mention also the Regional Ministry of Innovation, Science and Enterprise (Government of Andalusia, Spain), which granted Teresa González-Gómez with a Pre-Doctoral Scholarship. This paper has also been partially supported by the Estonian Institute (Eesti Instituut) which granted Teresa González-Gómez with an Estophilus Scholarship. It was also possible, thanks to the support of the University of Huelva through its Scientific Policy Strategic Plan that has benefited Estrella Gualda with a mobility aid to the London School of Economics and Political Science (UK). She also wishes to thank the hospitality of the Center for the Study of Human Rights from where she has co-authored this work as Senior Visiting Professor.