New power configurations: City mobilization and policy change

This article describes the implications of cities rising as international actors in the field of migration policy with a look at how they mobilize in national and inter-regional contexts. What is notable about the current period are new configurations of power between cities that are more sophisticated than the standard best practice sharing of traditional inter-city networks. The author has direct insights into the two case studies presented, and the information gathered derives in large measure from the author's conversations, relationships, and role in the activities described. The article presents assumptions on how these new configurations of power will influence global cooperation, pointing towards a redesign of governance in which local knowledge informs national policy, local action drives national response, and local needs trigger global cooperation.