Internationalization of progressive municipalism—Barcelona international relations strategies

This article examines how the International Relations Master Plan 2020–2023 and the International Strategy 2025–2029 translate progressive municipalism into external action. Through qualitative content analysis and comparison, it identifies three mechanisms of internationalization: norm projection, networked amplification, and multilevel resource mobilization. Both Strategies promote a rights-based agenda centered on social justice, housing, democratic participation, digital rights, and ecological transition. However, the movement-oriented municipalism of the Colau administration has evolved under Collboni into a more institutionalized and partnership-based model. This shift demonstrates both the continuity and moderation of Barcelona’s progressive orientation. The article also highlights the limits of municipal internationalization: although the Strategies support agenda-setting, policy circulation, coalition-building, and access to resources, they neither confer formal international authority on the city nor guarantee implementation. Barcelona, therefore, illustrates both the potential and the structural constraints of cities seeking to influence state-centered international governance.