Processes of globalisation and small and medium-sized cities

Progressive urbanization, economic integration, and development of modern technologies lead to the emergence of a new generation of globally networked cities attracting capital, ideas and people. Size is not the most significant factor influencing the importance of a city. At least equally important are innovation, activity in city networks, the activity of the inhabitants and the quality of life. The research problem of this paper is the question whether and how small and medium-sized cities show their manifestations of globalisation? The hypothesis is that every city, including small and medium-sized ones, shows some manifestations of globalisation. Such manifestations may be classified as political, economic, socio-cultural, and other. The conclusions confirm that the hypothesis has been positively verified. The cities chosen for examination include the European cities of Arhus (Denmark), Basel (Switzerland), and Tallinn (Estonia) as they are representative for other small and medium-sized cities. The paper is based on qualitative research methods, primarily discourse analysis (e.g. strategies implemented by cities and political manifestos of local officials), multiple case studies, and literature analysis.