The late Andreas Ladner, formerly Professor of Political Institutions and Public Administration, Swiss Graduate Institute of Public Administration (IDHEAP), University of Lausanne, Nicolas Keuffer, Senior Research Fellow, Alexander Bastianen, Research Assistant and PhD Candidate, Swiss Graduate Institute of Public Administration (IDHEAP), University of Lausanne, Switzerland, Harald Baldersheim, Professor Emeritus, Department of Political Science, University of Oslo, Norway, Nikos Hlepas, Professor of Regional Administration and Self Government, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece, Carmen Navarro, Professor, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Universidad Autnoma de Madrid, Spain, Kristof Steyvers, Professor, Department of Political Science, Ghent University, Belgium and Pawe_ Swianiewicz, Professor of Local Government and Urban Economics, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Poland