As urban areas have grown and sprawl has spread in recent decades, metropolitan governments around the world have begun to look beyond city borders, establishing regional partnerships to help them deal with issues of transit, resource use, and more. Metropolitan Governance examines this trend through a close comparative study of seven metropolitan areas in Israel and Germany. While not neglecting the reasons behind these changes in governance, the authors pay particular attention to their effects on—and diminishing of—democratic participation and accountability.

Hubert Heinelt is professor of public administration, public policy, and urban studies at the Institute of Political Science at Darmstadt University of Technology, where Karsten Zimmermann works as a senior researcher. Both are members of the LOEWE Centre of Research Excellence, Urban Research at Darmstadt University.. Eran Razin is director of the Institute of Urban and Regional studies, head of Floersheimer studies, and a member of the faculty of geography, all at the Hebrew University of Jersualem.