John Bachtler

EU cohesion policy and the role of the regions: investigating the influence of structural funds in the new member states

This paper undertakes a critical assessment of the influence of the EU Cohesion policy on regionalisation and the role of regional institutions in Central and Eastern Europe. It addresses questions that are central to ongoing theoretical debates about the role of the region in the new member states. Have the powers and resources of the regions been strengthened by their involvement in EU support programmes? Are regions increasingly involved in integrated ‘bottom-up’ responses to regional development challenges? The paper offers a fresh perspective on these issues, with a cross-national analysis of practical experience in the postenlargement period and a detailed assessment of the technical, variable, and complex reality of working with EU Structural Funds. A distinctive approach of the analysis is to disaggregate the stages of Structural Funds programme management and delivery, thereby highlighting the varied nature of regional involvement in Structural Funds. Ultimately, the paper questions the notion that Structural Funds build regional structures and competence, and lead to ‘stronger regions’. Instead, it is argued that there is no guarantee that the Structural Funds will necessarily promote regionalisation in Central and Eastern Europe, at least in the short to medium terms.

Reforming EU cohesion policy: a reappraisal of the performance of the structural funds

The aim of this article is to reassess the effectiveness of Cohesion policy. It examines the evidence for the performance of the policy since 1988, with a view to testing four main assumptions: that convergence is taking place at national and regional levels; that Cohesion policy has made a durable contribution to convergence and regional restructuring, in terms of GDP and employment; that Cohesion policy funds have been spent in the most effective way; and that there is a wider added value from Cohesion policy spending. The article goes on to consider issues for the budget review and how the effectiveness of Cohesion policy at the European level might be improved.

A new era in EU regional policy evaluation? the appraisal of the structural funds

The paper reviews recent trends in the evaluation of E U regional policy. It begins by discussing recent experience in evaluating Structural Fund operations and then outlines how the regulatory environment has been changing. Lastly, the paper reflects on the latest developments with respect to ex ante appraisal and some of the issues that have emerged from the 1994 appraisal of regional development programmes.

Regional policy in the transition countries: A comparative assessment

Abstract The transformation of central and eastern Europe has created new spatial patterns of economic and social inequality including west‐east, core‐periphery and urban‐rural disparities and industrial problem areas. This situation is increasingly demanding a regional policy response, evident in reforms to territorial and administrative structures, the drafting of regional policy legislation and the implementation of spatially targeted incentives, sometimes in specifically designated areas. Particular challenges face future progress in this field including prioritising between equity and efficiency goals and effectively managing the influence of the European Union.

The Interim Evaluation of EU Regional Development Programmes: Experiences from Objective 2 Regions

This article discusses The interim evaluation of eu regional development programmes: experiences from objective 2 regions.

Administrative reform and unintended consequences: an assessment of the EU Cohesion policy ‘audit explosion’

This paper investigates the effects of administrative reform in the Commission on policy implementation and outcomes through a study of EU Cohesion policy auditing. It argues that the growth in audit has taken a distinctively compliance-oriented form, in contrast with the performance audit model adopted in other countries that have embraced administrative modernization agendas. Further, the link between organizational efficiency and governance effectiveness postulated by other studies of Commission administrative reform is challenged, as the underlying audit and control problem in Cohesion policy – the high error rate – remain unresolved. Lastly, the proliferation in Cohesion policy auditing is presented as a classic example of unintended consequences: originally intended to improve policy performance and accountability, it has in fact undermined the strategic performance of the policy and is even threatening its sustainability.

Strengthening economic and social cohesion: the revision of the Structural Funds

This paper examines recent developments concerning the regional policies of the European Community. It reviews the changes to the design and implementation of the Structural Funds and discusses some major issues that arise from the revision.

Inward investment in the UK and the Single European Market

The impact of completing the Single European Market (SEM) on the economies ofthe Member States is predicted as a combination of economies of scale and greater competition (CECCHINI1, 988). In spatial terms, this implies a reallocation of resources to exploit the comparative advantage of different regions and countries. For the problem regions, especially those on the periphery of Europe, the integration process could lead to a variety of adverse sectoral and regional consequences. The effect of greater competition, for example, may reduce indigenous sectoral strengths and diversity and increase external control. The emergence or strengthening of agglomeration tendencies in core regions may lead to a growing centralization of investment and decision-making.

The Restructuring of Regional Policy in the European Community

For the past five years, regional policy in the European Community has been characterized by radical changes in the policies of individual Member States as well as the regional policy of the European Community (EC) itself. Particularly in northern Europe, traditional regional policy has come under considerable strain with the rise of competing policy priorities and public expenditure constraints. The increasing independence of the European Community in the exercise of its own regional policy, as well as interventions in regional aid by the European Commission under EC competition policy, have contributed to the pressures on Member States. The following paper reviews recent changes in regional policy in the EC focusing, first, on recent developments in the regional policies of the Member States and, second, in the policies of the European Community.

EU Cohesion Policy and European Integration : The Dynamics of EU Budget and Regional Policy Reform

EU Cohesion policy accounts for a major share of the EU budget and is central to economic and social development in many European countries. This book provides a comprehensive and theoretically-informed analysis of how Cohesion policy has evolved over time and, in particular the budgetary and policy dynamics of the 2007-13 reform. In the context of the budgetary politics of the EU, the book examines the process by which the reform of Cohesion policy has been was shaped; it identifies the key factors that explain the allocation of funding, assesses the roles of the Member States, European Commission and European Parliament, and tests whether the process and outcome are consistent with the expectations of EU decision-making and integration theories. Based on extensive, EU-wide research over a ten-year period, the book provides new insights into both the process and outcomes of EU policy reform. Presenting original research in an accessible format, this book will be of interest to scholars as well as undergraduate and postgraduate students in the fields of European integration and policy studies.