The role of international cooperation in the development of smart cities: global standarts, cybersecurity, and sustainability

This thesis examines the relationship between international cooperation and institutional capacity, digital governance, and sustainability in smart cities. The thesis moves beyond deterministic understandings of the smart city concept, which are dominated by technology. It argues that smart city performance is not solely explained by technology adoption but is closely related to governance quality and international cooperation. International cooperation is viewed as a conditional factor rather than a driving force behind smart city development. The study draws upon relevant literature in smart cities, urban governance, and global city networks. The study’s methodological approach is based upon an exploratory cross-sectional study using international indicators in digitalization, connectivity, sustainability, and cybersecurity. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and clustering are applied to identify structural patterns of similarity in smart city performance in twenty global cities. International cooperation is examined as an interpretive variable rather than an input variable in statistical models. The study’s results show that cities at similar levels of international cooperation display different profiles in smart city performance. International cooperation seems to support existing governance capacity but does not compensate for weak institutional structures. The study’s contribution to smart city research is its conditional view of international cooperation and its multi-dimensional analytical approach to smart urban development.