Local Government Systems: From Historic Divergence towards Convergence? Great Britain, France, and Germany as Comparative Cases in Point

The author aims at a comparative analysis of the development of local government systems in Britain, France, and Germany. First, he makes the point that, during the historical evolution of the local government systems of the three countries over the last century, their institutional profiles have exhibited an almost classical divergence. Against this historical background the author pursues answers to the questions of whether, to what degree, and why the local government systems of the three countries have, in their more recent development, shown institutional convergence. Among the factors possibly fostering such convergence, the following are highlighted in the paper: the internationalisation (‘globalisation’) of socioeconomic and political challenges and institutional responses to them.