EU Cohesion Policy Research Articles

Fundusze Unii Europejskiej a atrakcyjność inwestycyjna polskich powiatów. Analiza powiązań przestrzennych

Jednym z podstawowych narzędzi polityki spojności UE są fundusze europejskie. Środki z nich wydatkowane są między innymi na działania wzmacniające konkurencyjność gospodarek i zwiększające atrakcyjność inwestycyjną regionow, rozumianą jako zdolność skłonienia inwestorow do wyboru regionu oferującego określone korzyści lokalizacyjne, wspomagające osiąganie zamierzonych celow.
 Fundusze UE mają szczegolne znaczenie dla wzmocnienia czynnikow sprzyjających lub osłabienia barier podnoszenia atrakcyjności inwestycyjnej regionow. W niniejszym artykule podjęta została proba oceny relacji zachodzących między wysokością wsparcia w ramach funduszy europejskich a atrakcyjnością inwestycyjną polskich powiatow. Badania przeprowadzone zostały na poziomie powiatow (NUTS 4), co pozwala na bardzo precyzyjną ocenę terytorialnego zrożnicowania atrakcyjności inwestycyjnej kraju. Głowny cel przedstawionych badań stanowiła ocena wpływu funduszy europejskich na atrakcyjność inwestycyjną powiatow z uwzględnieniem zależności przestrzennych. Cel dodatkowy to określenie poziomu atrakcyjności inwestycyjnej powiatow na podstawie wybranych miernikow cząstkowych oraz konstrukcja syntetycznej miary atrakcyjności inwestycyjnej. Analiza zależności przestrzennych w kształtowaniu się badanych miernikow atrakcyjności pozwoliła na określenie ich wzorca przestrzennego oraz identyfikację ośrodkow wpływających pozytywnie lub negatywnie na jednostki sąsiednie. Przeprowadzone badania dowodzą występowania znacznych rożnic w poziomie atrakcyjności inwestycyjnej powiatow (do najbardziej atrakcyjnych należą powiaty: m. st. Warszawa, m. Sopot, m. Krakow, m. Katowice, m. Świnoujście). Wyniki modeli przestrzennych wskazują, że istotny, dodatni wpływ na atrakcyjność inwestycyjną danego powiatu wywiera nie tylko poziom wykorzystania funduszy europejskich w powiecie macierzystym, ale rownież absorpcja tych funduszy w powiatach sąsiednich.

Real innovation in urban planning? Assessing the institutional capacity in the frame of the integrated sustainable urban development programmes

ABSTRACT Since the 1990s, the EU Urban policy has provided several opportunities to explore innovation at local level. This policy is based on the so-called Integrated Sustainable Urban Development (ISUD) approach. This paper explores to what extent the URBANA programme, launched by the Spanish government in the frame of the EU Cohesion Policy 2007–2013, has promoted a ‘new way of doing things’ in local administrations. The research addresses three main objectives. Firstly, to identify which abilities are linked to the ISUD approach. Secondly, to understand how urban managers’ capacity has been developed within local administrations in the frame of the URBANA programme. Finally, to assess the effect of URBANA Institutional Capacity (IC) on the local administration. The information has been obtained from the analysis of EU and Spanish official documents, in-depth interviews and a questionnaire targeted to the local technicians. The general conclusion is that there is evidence of an urban Europeanisation in Spain. The mainstream of the ISUD approach is clear at formal level, but also in the level of acceptance of these requirements by the Spanish municipalities. The ISUD approach remains as a ‘way of doing’, even if proposals are not co-funded by EU funds.

EU Cohesion Policy can't buy me love? Exploring the regional determinants of EU image

AbstractBy investing in the development of European territories, EU Cohesion Policy can be expected to have a positive impact on the citizens' views on the European Union. Whether and how the policy actually affects what people think about the EU remains unclear. This paper explores a range of regional determinants of EU image, from socio‐economic to territorial factors and the intensity of EU Cohesion Policy funding, based on the data available for 2008–2015 period. It finds a positive relation between the size of the regional European Structural and Investment Funds' allocation and less negative EU image, while highlighting how a declining regional economic situation fuels more negative views on the EU. It also reveals that lower level of education and higher migration have a strong influence on negative EU image, albeit only in some European regions.

European identity and citizens' support for the EU: Testing the utilitarian approach

AbstractDespite Cohesion Policy representing one‐third of the EU budget, research on the role of EU Cohesion Policy in promoting the European identity is still scarce. Taking stock of a new dataset of citizens' support for and identification with the EU identity at the regional level, we aim to answer to the following questions: what are the determinants of support and identification with EU? Do EU fiscal transfers affect public support for the EU and the European identity? Do citizens' awareness about the Cohesion Policy play a role in it? We find that attitudes towards the EU are driven by individuals' perceptions of the economy in their region and of the effectiveness of EU institutions in solving the regional problems. We don't find evidence of a Cohesion Policy effect, but it provides useful indications for further research.

Hands-off or Hands-on Governance for Public Innovation? A Comparative Case Study in the EU Cohesion Policy Implementation in Finland

ABSTRACT Public innovation is increasingly strived for by involving non-state agents in policy implementation. Public governance theory has assumed the public administration better govern the activity hands-off by providing incentives and pressure. The theory-driven research agenda has, however, not sufficiently put the assumption to test. This paper compares two similar public innovation projects in employment management of which one was governed hands-off and the other hands-on. The cases reveal several problems with hands-off governance eventually risking innovation while hands-on governance consistently support innovation. Contrary to previous assumptions hands-off governance through competition in a complex environment confound the objective of the project. Hands-on governance, meanwhile, provide information and support that help the project to experiment and learn. The public governance theory should recognize the innovation potential of hands-on governance in the often complex public sector and be wary of mixing hands-off and hands-on governing techniques.

Η πολιτική συνοχής της Ε.Ε. μετά το 2020: Περισσότεροι στόχοι, λιγότεροι πόροι

Drawing on historical institutionalism, the paper seeks to compare the imprint of existing EU cohesion policy with the imprint formed on the basis of the policy reform proposals for the 2021-2027 programming period. It is deduced that the proposed changes are incremental in nature, seek to perpetuate the subjection of the goal of cohesion to the “new economic governance” and burden cohesion policy with additional general objectives. In addition, the distributivedimension of the proposals is problematic, as drastic reductions of funds are envisaged for 10 out of the 12 Central and Eastern European member states. The final conclusion is that: a) the proposed distribution of funds is politicallyunfeasible and b) the proposed reforms, while designed to limit complexity at the level of policy means, do not suffi ciently address “goal congestion” and do not event attempt to resolve the compatibility problem between the goal of cohesion – i.e. the reduction of territorial disparities – and the EU’s strategic ambitions.

Sustainable development discourse in Smart Specialization Strategies

Abstract Smart Specialization Strategies have been used to implement European Union Cohesion Policy in recent years, aiming to achieve economic, social and territorial development by reducing disparities between regions. The European Union often declares an alignment between Cohesion Policy, Smart Specialization Strategies and the United Nations Agenda 2030. However, and despite the recurrent Sustainable Development discourse present in the European political agenda, it is not evident that Smart Specialization Strategies integrate Sustainable Development goals and practices. Hence, this paper aims to explore and discuss the degree of embeddedness of the Sustainable Development discourse in the Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialization, using the Portuguese Centro Region as an exploratory study. In this research a content analysis of the Centro Region Smart Specialization Strategy was used for data collection and analysis, framed by the 17 goals of Agenda 2030 and their targets. Results show a good embeddedness of the overall goals of Agenda 2030, but a lower integration of the targets, suggesting that this strategy needs to be revisited to further integrate Agenda 2030. Moreover, the Centro Smart Specialization Strategy has a strong alignment with the goals related with economic and environmental issues, almost disregarding social aspects. These findings are amplified by the fact that this strategy is mainly being implemented through projects financed under the economy pillar. Finally, there is evidence about the need of developing regional innovation policies towards sustainable development from the regional to the national level. Overall, it is critical to enlarge the debate on how Smart Specialization Strategies can be an effective engine for a new development trajectory for European regions assuming the Agenda 2030 as a framework for the necessary change.

Settlements at the Edge – Remote Human Settlements in Developed Nations, edited by AndrewTaylor, Dean B.Carson, Prescott C.Ensign, LeeHuskey, Rasmus OleRasmussen, and GertrudeSaxinger (Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, 2016), pp. 449.

The chapter concludes by emphasising the fact that resource communities differ from each other to a significant extent; for example, some have been established for a single purpose, such as mining ore or fishing, while others are based on pre-existing settlements and habitation. These populations include non-resident commuters, temporary residential migrants, second-home owners, welfare-led migrants in search of cheaper living conditions, and more recently also refugees being settled in faraway places. The peripheral and beyond the periphery regions and settlements of the EU's member states have traditionally been the receivers of special support under the EU Cohesion Policy. [Extracted from the article] email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Citizens' perception of the Cohesion Policy and support for the European Union

AbstractUsing a novel database, this study assesses the impact of the perception of the personal benefits of the EU Cohesion Policy on support for the European project. The results show that the gap in support between people who claim to have benefited from the Cohesion Policy and those who feel they have not vanished once differences in individual traits and reverse causality are taken into account. This means that, despite the significant positive effect that the intensity of the Cohesion Policy in the region exerts on the perception of the policy, it does not stimulate support for the EU.

Regional structural heterogeneity: evidence and policy implications for RIS3 in macro-regional strategies

ABSTRACT In the future of European Union (EU) Cohesion Policy, a critical feature is how to capitalize on the current Research and Innovation Strategy for Smart Specialisation (RIS3), introduced in the 2014–20 programming period as an ex-ante conditionality for accessing European Structural Investment Funds. As a contribution to the current debate, this paper frames the socioeconomic comparative analysis of EU regions, considering subnational structural similarities, and referring to population, labour market and the sectoral composition of the economy. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis are performed on 31 input variables, returning 19 different types of EU regions. With an application to the EU macro-regions, the paper supports policy planning in macro-regions as a meso-level of interventions for the future Cohesion Policy.

INTRAREGIONAL DIVERSIFICATION OF THE LEVEL OF THE FINANCIAL SITUATION OF THE POVIATS OF EASTERN POLAND IN RELATION TO THE DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL

Territorial self-government is an independent entity that has a certain scope of freedom in deciding on the path of development of the subordinate area, common property, and implementation of public tasks. The aim of the study is to assess the intra-regional diagnosis of the level of the poviat’s financial situation relative to the development potential. The data used to conduct the study refer to the years of 2009 and 2016; they come from the Local Data Bank and cover 101 poviats of Eastern Poland. The poviat can carry out its tasks when it is equipped with stable and efficient sources of income. The level and structure of budget revenues determine investment activity. The socio-economic space of the poviat’s activity is a multi-element system. It achieves different levels of development depending on the structure, equipment elements, as well as the quality and complexity of the links between them. The ability of a poviat to operate can be seen as a set of factors that are mutually related to each other. These factors include: technical infrastructure, knowledge, innovation, regional product, eco-development, geographical location, finances. These factors depend on the potential inherent in the region, activity in the sphere of planning and implementation of regional policy by regional self-government authorities, the state’s economic policy, and the standards of structural policy and EU cohesion policy. These factors are not unchangeable over time; therefore, they should be subjected to continuous and ongoing analysis. The synthetic measure of the financial situation according to the average value of the 2007–2016 years was in the range from 0.24 to 0.49. Poviats with a higher rate of the synthetic financial situation are better in terms of the measure of development. The level of the indicator is influenced by: the economic character of the entity and the function of the area, economic potential, financial situation, quality of the natural environment and infrastructure. The management of financial resources is of special importance in the functioning of poviats. They affect the economic situation of the local government, the conditions for the implementation of tasks. Financial resources are the basis for the operation of individuals and a condition for the implementation of the tasks imposed on them, they determine development and are an expression of the potential for economic development. The situation of the surveyed units varied. The ranking of cities in the ranking did not change substantially in the subsequent years. It was confirmed that financial resources are the basis for the operation of individuals and a condition for carrying out the tasks imposed on them, determine development, and reflect the potential for economic development.

Smart specialization and institutional context: the role of institutional discovery, change and leapfrogging

ABSTRACTRecent years have witnessed much experimentation with smart specialization strategies (RIS3) and entrepreneurial discovery processes (EDPs) in European regions. The EDP can be seen as an opportunity to address institutional questions. Because institutional patterns can explain why some policies are eventually successful while others are not, looking at the institutional context of regional economies can increase the effectiveness of regional policy. This article argues that the EDP functions as a framework to discover institutional patterns specific to a regional economy, and to define policies either consistent with existing institutions or aiming at institutional change. The article proposes a conceptual framework to understand and analyze the two institution-related roles of the EDP, first as an institutional discovery process and second as an institutional change process. The article builds on empirical case studies in two regions (Lower Austria, Austria and South Tyrol, Italy) and two small countries (Slovenia and Croatia). The case studies focus on how these regions or countries organized the EDP that eventually led to the formulation of their RIS3, and on the institutional dynamics of the EDP in discovering and changing institutions. The article concludes with policy implications that contribute to the debate on post-2020 EU Cohesion Policy.

2. Perspectives on Smart Specialisation Policies in Lagging Regions

The RIS3 agenda has become a central plank of EU Cohesion policy. It is aimed at spearheading the drive towards research, innovation, and entrepreneurship across all EU regions, especially its weak...

Networks and efficient policy implementation: Insights from cohesion policy

Network-based arrangements are increasingly used for policy implementation. Arguments are made for the potential benefits of this approach, but evidence of their efficiency is inconclusive. Recent methodological innovations, incorporating social network analysis, are building the evidence base. This article contributes to a growing area of study by exploring the relationship between the efficient implementation of European Union cohesion policy projects, and the characteristics of the networks involved in the implementation process. The research combined quantitative analysis of implementation of projects in Scotland in 2007–2013 and semi-structured interviews. The research finds that the involvement of many partners can have a negative impact on implementation. Rather, the strategic position of key actors in the network is important for efficient implementation. The results stress the importance of network governance and the role of key agents as nodes that bridge structural gaps and facilitate exchange of knowledge and resources.

Between Competitiveness and Sustainability? Achievements and Dilemmas of Regional Policy in the Context of Economic Development of Rural Regions: the Case of Poland

A clear long-term economic trend is the concentration of capital and settlement. These processes increasingly include development centres located in cities and their functional areas. In turn, many peripheral areas, including rural areas, are subject to socio-economic marginalization. As a result, the inter-regional and intra-regional disparities in wealth and quality of life become more visible and deepen. Increasing spatial differences are confront with numerous scientific explanations and remedies, which usually are translated into different strategies and practices of regional policy. Regional policy actions assume a different scope, objectives, instruments of intervention and could be categorized as a policy based on the paradigm of competitiveness (polarisation) or sustainability. The aim of the paper was to determine the level of economic disparities between urban and rural regions in Poland in the context of assessment of implemented regional policy. In the paper selected approaches to supporting rural development in regional policy, namely the perspectives based on the paradigm of competitiveness and sustainability were characterised. The analyses carried out documented the differences in the intensity of support of EU Cohesion Policy tools per capita in favour of urban regions. Even though the value of financial support from EU funds was positively correlated with the level of regional development, there was no statistically significant impact of this intervention on the processes of economic convergence and divergence. The conclusions presented in the study were based on the analysis of the Eurostat data gathered for 72 Polish sub-regions in 2007-2015. For the purpose of the study the statistical methods (i.e. descriptive statistics, measures of economic convergence), as well as the content analysis of strategic documents were used. Key words: rural regions, competitiveness, sustainability, economic development, regional policy

Macroeconomic Conditionalities: Using the Controversial Link Between EU Cohesion Policy and Economic Governance

Macroeconomic Conditionalities: Using the Controversial Link Between EU Cohesion Policy and Economic Governance

INSTITUTIONAL ANALYSIS OF INTERREGIONAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONVERGENCE IN THE CONTEXT OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION: INTERDISCIPLINARY METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH DEVELOPMENT

Relevance. The problem of interregional convergence within EU-countries has been of great interest among scholars. Such an interest is explained by the fact that joining the European Union may cause deepening interregional disparities among EU-members. As a result, there is a need to develop a model of interregional convergence in socio-economic development that would help countries to face the challenges of regional development during the process of European integration. The multidimensional nature of issues relating to interregional disparities implies the usage of an institutional approach that allows an analysis combining economic and non-economic factors. The purpose of this paper is to develop an interdisciplinary methodological approach to the analysis of interregional socio-economic convergence in the context of European integration from the institutional perspective. Methodological basis. Valuable and very interesting studies along this research line have been undertaken by a number of scholars who have used different methodological approaches that include neoclassical analysis, “core-periphery” theory, institutionalism, “resource abundance curse” phenomenon. The outcomes of their studies serve as a solid ground for in-depth research on interregional convergence that allows analysing this phenomenon from different perspectives. However, the issues regarding the regional dimension of institutional influence on the socio-economic development in the context of European integration have not been thoroughly covered in the economic studies. Results. Based on analysis of theoretical and empirical studies in the areas of interregional disparities and institutional economics, the interdisciplinary methodological approach has been developed, which implies reaching the following objectives: 1) to analyse interregional disparities in EU-members within the framework of neo-classical growth theory, 2) to examine regional dynamics using methodology of “core-periphery” theory (“New Economic Geography”); 3) to research the presence of “resource abundance curse” phenomenon in the regional development in the EU-countries; 4) to examine the institutional dimension of interregional disparities; 5) to analyse position papers on the EU Cohesion Policy implementation to outline the institutional challenges of the latter. Therefore, the research output allows developing an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of the institutional aspect of socio-economic convergence that combines a quantitative (empirical) and qualitative analysis.

Smart growth in less developed regions – the role of EU structural funds on the example of Poland

The study sheds more light on the implementation of smart growth and supporting it with public funds by examining the Polish experiences in the period 2007-2016. The aim of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of the challenges associated with the implantation of smart growth concept in the less developed regions. Secondly, the impact of EU structural funds on smart growth in Poland is analyzed at the regional level with a view to contributing to the debate on public intervention in this area. The author used descriptive analysis, analysis of strategic documents and statistical analysis. Smart growth is particularly challenging for less developed regions. The model reveals that smart growth of Polish regions was increasing after 2007, when the support under EU cohesion policy for innovative solutions has grown considerably. However, among the various factors influencing regional development processes, the impact of structural funds was not as strong as might be expected.

The Croatian path from socialism to European membership through the lens of technology transfer policies

The transition from a socialist economy to one of capitalism brought, to many countries that had previously been socialist, a drastic decline in their technological competences, technological transfers, and research activities after the 1990s. This research seeks to assess whether or not the policy of technology transfer practised during the socialist era improved for these countries following their entry to a capitalist regime and their subsequent joining of the European Union, and whether or not these two processes (which historically coincide for many previously socialist countries) correlate. Croatia is used as an example of a typical transition country possessive of a specific type of market socialism, with controversial outcomes arising from its particular transition process in comparison to its peers. Despite the assistance of the European Union, which helped many new members from socialist backgrounds to recover their economies by upgrading their technological capabilities, this research reveals that technology transfer in less technologically developed countries is unfolding very slowly. Technological transfer occurs as a highly contextual phenomenon, dependant not only on the structure of the economy and technological and research capacities, but also on the political economy and the type of capitalism. This research identifies the three phases of the evolution of university technology transfer: science based models in socialism; endeavours towards an innovation based model throughout the transition period; and the bureaucratic model, driven by the EU cohesion policy and facilitated through access to the European Structural Funds. This research points out that bureaucratic-driven types of technology transfer should be coupled with nationally concerned actions on overall economic and political reforms in order to gain efficient results from their technology transfer efforts.

Evaluating Integrated Sustainable Urban Development Strategies: a methodological framework applied in Portugal

ABSTRACTThis paper debates the evolution and importance of the urban dimension of EU policies and in particular EU Cohesion Policy in the past three decades. It discusses the growing relevance for supporting a Urban Agenda for the EU, and the gradual adoption and implementation of Integrated Sustainable Urban Development Strategies (ISUDS), by pointing out their advantages vis-à-vis mainstream sectoral-focused policy strategies. In this light, the article proposes an evaluation framework to assess and compare ISUDS across Europe. Based on the Portuguese case study this analysis argues that despite their limited impacts, EU financed urban programmes (URBAN, POLIS, ISUDS) contributed positively to promoting a policy integrated approach, and enhanced urban physical and social environment of deprived urban neighbourhoods. More concretely, the initial results from the recent implementation of the 103 ISUDS reveal a gradual adoption by the urban and local authorities of more holistic and integrated urban development policy approaches to increasing policy effectiveness and efficiency.