Between Development and Social Policies: The Impact of European Structural Funds in Objective 1 Regions
Rodríguez-Pose A. and Fratesi U. (2004) Between development and social policies: the impact of European Structural Funds in Objective 1 regions, Reg. Studies 38, 97-113. European regional support has grown in parallel with European integration. The funds targeted at achieving greater economic and so...
Gespeichert in:
Veröffentlicht in: | Regional studies 2004-02, Vol.38 (1), p.97-113 |
---|---|
Hauptverfasser: | , |
Format: | Artikel |
Sprache: | eng |
Schlagworte: | |
Online-Zugang: | Volltext |
Tags: |
Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
|
Zusammenfassung: | Rodríguez-Pose A. and Fratesi U. (2004) Between development and social policies: the impact of European Structural
Funds in Objective 1 regions, Reg. Studies
38, 97-113. European regional support has grown in parallel with European
integration. The funds targeted at achieving greater economic and social cohesion and reducing disparities within the European
Union (EU) have more than doubled in relative terms since the end of the 1980s, making development policies the second
most important policy area in the EU. The majority of the development funds have been earmarked for Objective 1 regions,
i.e. regions where GDP per capita is below the 75% threshold of the EU average. However, the European development policies
have come under increasing criticism based on two facts: the lack of upward mobility of assisted regions; and the absence of
regional convergence. This paper assesses, using cross-sectional and panel data analyses, the failure so far of European
development policies to fulfil their objective of delivering greater economic and social cohesion by examining how European
Structural Fund support is allocated among different development axes in Objective 1 regions. We find that, despite the
concentration of development funds on infrastructure and, to a lesser extent, on business support, the returns to commitments
on these axes are not significant. Support to agriculture has short-term positive effects on growth, but these wane quickly, and
only investment in education and human capital - which only represents about one-eight of the total commitments - has
medium-term positive and significant returns. |
---|---|
ISSN: | 0034-3404 1360-0591 |
DOI: | 10.1080/00343400310001632226 |