Good (Local) Governance and State Capacity: Continuity and Difference in Times of Pandemic and Beyond

The chapter investigates ‘good governance’ in times of pandemic and beyond. It starts by locating the chapter within debates concerning ‘rescaling’ and ‘multi-level governance’ and highlights the analytical importance of local-level policy for both ad hoc pandemic emergency governance and long-term integration governance. It draws on interview material to uncover the pattern of cooperation and conflict between migrant minorities and local government institutions in each of the three city locales. It outlines the importance of ‘substantive citizenship’ at the local level. The chapter concludes by suggesting that the Corona pandemic might have induced a turn towards ‘humble governance’ in all three city locales.