Beyond size: Overcoming fragmentation by inter-municipal associations in Spain? The case of Catalonia
研究了西班牙加泰罗尼亚地区的市际协会，分析其如何通过不同维度的规模（如成员数量、制度化程度）来克服地方碎片化，并识别关键影响因素。
The Spanish local system is characterised by strong fragmentation and a large number of local territorial entities. One of the possible ways of compensating for this small size is through associations of municipalities, which may empower their members to provide better services and may increase their ability to solve problems. However, the size of the municipalities may not be the only important factor. Indeed, other dimensions of size, such as the number of members or the size of the institution as an indicator of the degree of institutionalisation, can be taken into account. In this article, we explore the inter-municipal associations in an area of Spain (Catalonia) in order to identify and analyse the key factors and explanatory variables, and to explore different dimensions of the concept of size. Points for practitioners The size of the organisation is an important aspect of inter-municipal associations and it can be influenced by the number of municipalities and the area of cooperation. Upper-level-driven reforms may have a direct impact on the creation of these kinds of entities.