The institutionalization of Dutch-German cross-boundary nature policy

This paper focuses on cross-border nature conservation policy in the Gelderse Poort, a region in the Dutch-German frontier area. An institutional analysis is combined with an analysis of strategic conduct in order to study the enabling and constraining factors of cross-border nature policy. In the analysis of strategic conduct, policy making in the Gelderse Poort was examined as a process of negotiation between actors, with different constructions of nature and different resources at their disposal. In the institutional analysis, the accent was pkced on enabling and constraining factors for cross-border policy making in the Gelderse Poort as a result of the institutionalization of nature conservation policy in the Netherlands and Germany. This kind of analysis may contribute to a better understanding of cross-border policy making processes in the European context.