Throughout most of Europe, intermunicipal cooperation (IMC) has become an important answer to a rangeof challenges. In this article, the aim is to contribute to knowledge about mechanisms that influence howdelegated bodies for IMC are upheld over time and how such processes are shaped by different regionalcontexts. This is done through a comparative study of the formation and upholding of three municipalfederations in upper secondary education in Sweden. Through this article, I contribute to a currentdebate on the role of norms of cooperation and regional contextual factors in the emergence andupholding of IMC arrangements.