ABSTRACT

The turbulence of Brexit threatens to undermine England–European Union (EU) transborder cooperation at the subnational scale. This paper discusses the lived experience of city and regional leaders involved in developing cross-European cooperation during the early phase of the Brexit ‘project’. It contributes to the idea of relational leadership as a framing device for studying leadership in transborder cooperation in the England–EU subnational setting, and surfaces challenges faced by subnational leaders in transborder cooperation during significant policy turbulence. Two main findings of the research have wider relevance for emerging city and regional (place) leadership theory and practice. First, the unanticipated shock caused by Brexit to the supra-national policy environment is impacting significantly on subnational leaders’ ability to maintain good transborder working relationships; and second, continuing non-prejudicial dialogue and meaningful conversations between subnational partners are an antidote to the negative legacies of such policy disruption.

摘要

英国脱欧的动荡可能会破坏英国与欧盟 (EU) 在地方层面的跨界合作。本文讨论了在英国脱欧“项目”的早期阶段参与发展跨欧洲合作的城市和地区领导人的亲身经历。它有助于将关系型领导作为研究英格兰-欧盟地方环境中跨境合作领导力的框架工具，并揭示地方领导人在重大政策动荡期间跨境合作中面临的挑战。该研究的两个主要发现与新兴城市和区域（地方）领导理论和实践具有更广泛的相关性。第一的，英国退欧对超国家政策环境造成的意外冲击正在显着影响地方领导人维持良好跨境工作关系的能力；其次，地方合作伙伴之间持续的无偏见对话和有意义的对话是消除此类政策中断的负面影响的解毒剂。