A process-based model to evaluate cooperation between a function-sharing city alliance: The example of the Harz planning region, Germany

Since 2005, there has been an increase in the sharing of functions between the central places of the federal states in Germany. Especially in light of the demographic and structural changes in rural regions, function-sharing city alliances are essential to secure the provision of services of general interest. As part of a central place system, function-sharing city alliances are subject to performance evaluation in some states, but the federal-state development plans do not define the type of evaluation, its function, form or criteria. There is currently no standardised evaluation approach. Using the example of three newly cooperating cities in the Harz planning region (Germany), this paper presents a holistic and tiered model for evaluating the shared provision of high-order services of general interest. The model considers the maturity of the cooperation by combining different forms of evaluation at different points in time. The scorecard technique enables the combination of various quantitative and qualitative criteria in one evaluation system. When developing the model, we applied the real-world lab approach as a research mode to ensure the evaluation model met scientific and practical requirements. The modular nature of the evaluation model enables a transfer to other function-sharing city alliances and can therefore form the basis of a standardised evaluation approach.