Urban regimes in a Europe of the cities?

This article uses concepts from the globalization debate and American urban political-economy literature to establish a framework within which the 'new' urban politics of production in Europe can be examined cross-nationally. Drawing upon research which applied this framework in five major European cities, it argues that (a) the urban politics of production has recently become more important cross-nationally and (b) there have been decisive, and relatively similar, changes in the motivations and actions of three major partners in urban development - central and local governments and local business communities. It suggests these changes, although significant, are unlikely to presage a 'Europe of the cities' in which city-states will reassume dominant roles in social and economic regulation.