Local Initiative and Transnational Movement

Decentralization reforms have been implemented in many countries. However, most local public entities must often request support from the central government, and there remains substantial control by national governments through individual laws and regulations and planning. As we have witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of the government can rather be strengthened in emergencies. It is not only the central government that has hindered local autonomy these days. Transnational issues such as immigration and smuggling are piling up at the local level. Moreover, local public entities face more and more challenges affected by transnational corporations, civil societies, and foreign investors. Even rural areas have been inundated with surges of neoliberalism, deregulation and global legalization. Most local public entities under national authority have encountered the influence of the market and civil society. Having said that, it does not mean that local governments and communities are always influenced passively. Rather, some have managed to figure out and handle opportunities and risks by transnational private actors as much as possible when they plan and conduct their policies. This panel will focus on the structure of local public entities which encounter transnational movements and institutions.
Local democracy and initiatives would be highly respected when we remember that they should reflect the needs and preferences of residents. Then, how much can local entities control them with their initiative as reality when they meet transnational movements? For example, migrants and corporate direct investment coming across borders have impacted the very local political, economic, and social context at the local level. In the case of companies from countries with ISDS agreements, local government initiatives may be limited.