{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,11]],"date-time":"2026-05-11T11:47:59Z","timestamp":1778500079803,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":53,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,20]],"date-time":"2026-02-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1771545600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Systems"],"abstract":"<jats:p>While governance theories are well-established, their operational application to transboundary serial cultural heritage remains minimally explored, particularly regarding comparative methodologies for evaluating cooperation maturity. This study addresses this gap by investigating the relationships among institutional models, cooperation mechanisms, and management maturity levels across different countries. The research utilizes a qualitative comparative analysis of the management plans of fifteen transboundary serial cultural heritage sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Findings show that governance is not limited to the functioning of legal and administrative structures, but is also shaped by trust among stakeholders, knowledge exchange, and participant processes. Four main governance models were identified: institutionalized multinational networks, federal\u2013modular structures, bilateral\u2013local cooperation, and community-led collaboration. In parallel, the developed Corporate Governance and Maturity Positioning Map reveals that the sites fall along six distinct levels, ranging from basic communication to sustained governance networks. The study argues that the primary factor determining management effectiveness is the intensity of interaction and continuity of coordination rather than institutional capacity. Overall, the findings suggest that cultural heritage governance should be understood as a multi-layered, learning-based, and diplomatic process.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/systems14020220","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,20]],"date-time":"2026-02-20T13:08:23Z","timestamp":1771592903000},"page":"220","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Rethinking Governance in Transboundary Serial World Heritage Sites: Multi-Level Coordination, Institutional Diversity, and Cultural Diplomacy"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-4412-8810","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Basak","family":"Siklar","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Architecture, Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8587-1002","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yasemin","family":"Akcakaya","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Department of Architecture, Istanbul Esenyurt University, Istanbul 34510, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hicran Han\u0131m","family":"Hala\u00e7","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Architecture and Design, Department of Architecture, Eski\u015fehir Technical University, Tepebasi 26555, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4860-9416","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fikret","family":"Bademci","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Architecture, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZX, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"UNESCO (2025, November 14). 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