This collection, the first international comparative study oflocal boundary reform, examines the legal and regulatoryprocedures involved in municipal restructuring. Case studies from eightnations investigate how and why local governments have been enlarged inscope and reduced in number. Four key aspects are examined: thegeography of the local government boundary problem, the proceduresassociated with boundary reform, the roles of institutions and actorsin boundary reform, and the implications for urban and regionalgovernance. This book offers a broad theoretical understanding of localgovernment boundary reform and informs the wider scholarly discussionabout institutional change, state structures, and the arealjurisdiction of local governments.