Why do municipal authorities participate in- and are loyal to- LA21 networks?

This research studies the antecedents of participation-quantity, participation-quality, and loyalty intentions by municipal authorities in Local Agenda 21 (LA21) networks. We consider three levels of analysis: member-level, municipality-level, and promoter-level. We show that the explanatory variables included in each of these levels have different and relatively complex effects on the outcome variables studied. While the role of the promoters to drive participation-quantity is crucial, the effect of its actions on participation-quality and, particularly, loyalty intentions is more limited. Our findings suggest that network promoters should act as drivers and facilitators of participation in co-creation activities (participation-quantity) and co-decision. They should then rely on the benefits that local authorities obtain from participation in co-creation activities (such as learning, social enhancement and social capital) and the major contribution of municipalities. We use data collected from 156 municipal authorities who are members of an LA21 network in Barcelona.