Transferring Territorial Governance in the European Union: Why, What, How and through Whom?

The field of policy transfer is highly complex. This is particularly true when it comes to territorial governance which is a process integrating several context-dependent policy fields rather than a policy per se. The contribution adopts a conceptual framework developed within the project ESPON TANGO to reflect upon this matter. In particular, it conceptualises distinct modes of policy transfer in the EU, explaining many ways through which a certain territorial governance practice in a given domestic context can reach other context(s) that may apply it. The presented framework is expected to help define what to transfer, how and through whom; in other words (i) what territorial governance elements may be effectively transferred, (ii) what interactive resources may favour the transfer and (iii) what ‘receiving’ stakeholders’ group(s) may constitute the target. Building on this assumption, the contribution reflects upon the potential transferability of territorial governance ‘features’, intended as practical manifestation of good territorial governance in real cases.