The Democratic Legitimacy of Intermunicipal Cooperation: A Systematic Literature Review

Intermunicipal cooperation (IMC) has emerged globally as a way of addressing the many challenges faced by local governments. Although it offers potential benefits in terms of capacity, efficiency, and cost reduction, IMC raises fundamental questions about democratic legitimacy. This paper systematically examines the democratic implications of IMC using an analytical framework centered on three dimensions of legitimacy: input (representation and participation), throughput (accountability and transparency), and output (distributive equity and perceived fairness). A comprehensive review of the academic literature reveals the democratic consequences of IMC across these three dimensions. Our findings suggest that IMC often marginalizes local councils while empowering executives and creating complex accountability structures where responsibility becomes untraceable across multiple principals. Moreover, the review identifies significant research gaps regarding the representation of political opposition in IMC arrangements and the long-term effects on local democracy and distributive equity. We conclude by proposing a research agenda to guide future studies and support the development of democratically robust cooperation frameworks.