Neo-institutional approaches and primary research: The case study of EQUAL and LEADER local partnerships in Crete

This book acknowledges and develops the role of neo-institutional theories in understanding and interpreting political phenomena. In particular, this neo-institutional study analyses the dynamic interaction between formal/informal rules and agents’ behaviour inside a political institution, examining these relationships through primary research on local partnerships in Greece.

The theoretical assumptions of this analysis derive mainly from normative neo-institutionalism but also include insights from rational choice and the historical institutionalism. Consideration is also given to sociological theories of the structure/agent duality along with concepts and empirical observations from the literature on urban governance, urban regimes, Europeanisation and political leadership.   

This interdisciplinary analysis stems epistemologically from the critical realism stance which acknowledges a reflexive approach to reality. This was also integrated into the research methodology with the implementation of an embedded case study strategy. The case study consists of two local partnerships in the region of Crete, which were established under the EU Community Initiatives Programmes EQUAL II and LEADER+ and coordinated by the Local Development Agency of Heraklion.

The research data reveal that the formal rules of the partnerships are not indicative of what actually happens. It is the configuration of formal and informal rules that offers a deep understanding of partnership. The research also shows the importance of agents' intentionality in the process of institutional change as well as the specific spatial and temporal context in which this institutional change takes place each time.