Towards cross-border network governance? : the social and solidarity economy and the construction of a cross-border territory in the Basque country

Abstract

This chapter addresses the role of the third sector and social economy in the emergence of cross-border network governance in the Basque border region. Cross-border relations have historically been initiated by movements within civil society, anticipating policy actors in this matter. A policy change occurred in the 1990s, with the gradual Europeanization of a new policy framework which enabled institutional cross-border cooperation. The current engagement of social economy actors in this kind of cooperation is marked by this double heritage, with contrasting forms of implementations. Initiatives motivated by Basque identity, despite being constructed historically as alternatives, are today spearheading cross-border network governance. In contrast, institutional asymmetries might hinder the emergence of cross-border network governance within sectors (here: social integration through economic activity) with no particular reference to a shared identity.