Spaces of influence in decentralised governance systems: a comparison of substate civil society networks and politics in the United Kingdom and Canada

Here we explore three case studies, Wales, Quebec and Manitoba, to examine how changes in multilevel governance affect the strategies and the operating environment of civil society organisations (CSO).1 Every multilevel system of governance has considered ways to share political responsibility for social service delivery, vertically between levels of government and horizontally with non-state organisations. Wales, Quebec and Manitoba all have subnational authority over social policy as a result of devolution (United Kingdom) and constitutional arrangements (Canada). Comparing their experiences suggests shifts in the locus of governance that disrupt established patterns and create opportunities for the redesign of governance arrangements. New dynamics are contingent upon the way that CSOs navigate new structures to position themselves in the policy arena.