A Governance Theory for Cross-Border Regions: Identifying Principles and Processes with Grounded Theory

The rise of governance in border studies has become an opportunity to increase efficiency, generate better institutional arrangements and reduce the gap between theory and practice. However, the multiplicity of theories where cross-border governance can be placed, the lack of consensus on concepts and the multiple disciplines that can be used for studying it have increased the need of more comprehensive theoretical frameworks. From an evolutionary-constructivist approach, this paper explores the principles and processes behind cross-border governance evolution through a Grounded Theory methodology based on 49 interviews. The proposed theory identifies four principles – shared experience, Nation State construction, scale difference and notions of power–, defining governance as a mean and result of the territorialization of cross-border actors’ knowledge construction and power concentration at different levels, sectors and scales, based on five on-going processes – knowledge creation, articulation of relationships, decision-making, implementation & management and appraisal of results –.