European Regional Science Association
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European Regional Science Association
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The abstract for paper number 140:
Kai Böhme, Nordregio (Nordic Centre for Spatial Development)
, Stockholm, Sweden, Kaisa Lähteenmäki-Smith, Nordregio (Nordic Centre for Spatial Development)
, Stockholm, Sweden
Evaluating the Territorial Effects of European Structural Funds
During the Lisbon European Council in 2000, the fifteen EU government leaders initiated an ambitious process, aimed at making the EU the most dynamic, competitive, sustainable knowledge-based economy towards 2010, enjoying full employment and strengthening economic and social cohesion. Needless to say this is an extremely ambitious task, not least with the enlargement process. Europe is today facing an unprecedented increase in the degree of internationalisation or “Europeanisation” of territorial development, due to the EU integration process, enlargement and globalisation. These processes will have a major impact on the whole process of European integration and the nature of political community, as well as requiring further sophistication in terms of understanding and pursuing regional and spatial development activities aiming at cohesion on the European level. One central aspect in developing such perspectives entails developing territorial impact assessment and learning from the evaluation activities connected to this.
Whilst the concept of “territorial cohesion” is ambiguous and open to various, even at times contradictory interpretations, there is an increasing interest and deeply felt need to clarify the concept. The objective of strengthening cohesion specified in Article 158 of the Treaty is aimed at achieving harmonious development of the Union as a whole. Therefore the key question becomes: how does one define this "harmonious development" and its components? The Sixth Periodic Report and the Second Cohesion Report provided a broader understanding of economic development, largely inspired by the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP) and encompassing three main aims (1) a polycentric urban development and a new relationship between urban and rural areas; (2) equal access for all European regions to infrastructure and know-how and (3) prudent management of the natural and cultural heritage. How these themes are incorporated into spatial policy activity has become a question of increased interest within the evaluation field. The paper proposed here draws on two main research endeavours analysing the incorporation and policy impact of these themes within regional development activities in the EU Structural Funds: one evaluating the territorial impact of Structural Funds and another analysing the central research challenges of integrating academic research and evaluation activities. By drawing on these two research activities, the authors seek to answer the following research questions: Ø How is territorial impact conceived of in different Member States and which methodology (and indicators) are best suited for territorial impact analysis of EU policies in order to achieve commensurability? Ø What are the key challenges for comparative approaches in identifying territorial impact of Structural Funds policies with reference to the territorial dimensions of different Member States? Ø What are the results of Cohesion policy in relation to the notion of balanced territorial development and what challenges do these pose to evaluation activity? Ø What policy recommendations can one arrive at in view of implementation of Structural Funds in relation to territorial impact and its assessment through evaluation activities?
Unfortunately full paper has not been submitted.