01674nam a2200181 4500 509402 509402 190507b ||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d Silva, Patricia 5161 Intermunicipal cooperation: the quest for governance capacity? 2018 p.619-638. Intermunicipal cooperation is being increasingly adopted in various countries to cope with the dilemmas of territorial scale and resource rationing. Despite the pressures towards the reshaping of administrative boundaries, little is known about the capacity of intermunicipal associations to function as effective, legitimate and resilient policy actors. This article aims to contribute to this debate by addressing two interrelated dimensions. First, it seeks to present a conceptual definition of governance capacity, unpacking the conceptual framework into dimensions that can be measured systematically. Second, it aims to empirically assess the governance capacity of Portuguese intermunicipal associations, drawing on a unique survey of intermunicipal associations. Overall, results suggest that despite being instrumentally driven, intermunicipal associations have proven to be efficient, with members recognizing the benefits and the spillover effects of trustworthy arrangements. However, the path dependencies affecting Portuguese local governments may impact on the relatively low levels of governance capacity. - Reproduced. Intermunicipal cooperation 5162 Teles, Filipe 5163 Ferreira, Joanna 5164 International Review of Administrative Sciences Local government ddc AR 0 0 ddc 0 0 383346 IIPA IIPA 2019-05-07 84(4), Dec, 2018: p.619-638. AR119583 2019-05-07 AR