7. Taking Time and Space Seriously in the Study of Amalgamation Reforms: Causal Inferences Based on Cross-Country Analyses

The final empirical chapter of this book presents a comparative study of European countries to assess the general propositions discussed in Chap. 6. The number of countries included in the analyses varies depending on data availability on both municipal amalgamation reforms and the relevant explanatory factors. The first section of the chapter compares and contrasts the evolution in the number of local governments in selected European countries and the developments of the Welfare State, urbanization and economic growth in the past century and a half. The second section emphasizes the developmental comparison design of this study by focusing on data comparing all European countries over time to assess patterns of convergence, divergence and diffusion of amalgamation reforms across local government systems.