Secondly, we look at the above-mentioned topics from a timely urban-rural perspective, as the ultimate aim is to explore the impact of the phenomenon of urbanisation on local governments and the response of urban and rural municipalities. Thirdly, the book focuses within broader research on the structure of local government and intergovernmental relations on several specific topics that have been revealed by our project as particularly relevant. These are decentralization within metropolitan areas, ways of tackling structural challenges in rural areas through mergers and inter-municipal cooperation, the representation of urban and rural interests by local government associations, as well as the role that local authorities play in intergovernmental conferences.