The challenge of territorial politics

Territorial politics within the state has become more important. Change has emerged both as central government institutions have decentralised functions to the regional level and as new demands focused on regional-scale collective goals have emerged. Developments in European integration have also interacted with, and spurred on, both directions of change. The full implications of these changes has not been fully explored, as social science remains captured by a methodological nationalism focused on central government institutions and policy processes. Further research is needed which addresses the regional level in its own right, rather than a scaled-down version of national politics.