Handbook on Cohesion Policy in the EU

Edited by Simona Piattoni, Professor of Political Science, Department of Sociology and Social Research, University of Trento, Italy and Laura Polverari, Senior Research Fellow, European Policies Research Centre, University of Strathclyde, UK



This Handbook covers all major aspects of EU Cohesion policy, one of the most significant areas of intervention of the European Union. Over five parts, It discusses this policy’s history and governing principles; the theoretical approaches from which it can be assessed; the inter-institutional and multi-level dynamics that it tends to elicit; its practical implementation and impact on EU member states; its interactions with other EU policies and strategies; and the cognitive maps and narratives with which it can be associated. An absolute must for all students of the EU.

This ambitious Handbook covers the history, functioning and impact of Cohesion policy, arguably the most tangible presence of the European Union in its twenty-eight member states.

The contributions combine world-renowned scholars and country experts to discuss, in five parts, the policy’s history and governing principles; the theoretical approaches from which it can be assessed; the inter-institutional and multi-level dynamics that it elicits; its practical implementation and impact on EU member states; its interactions with other EU policies and strategies; and the cognitive maps and narratives with which it can be associated.

This Handbook will be an invaluable resource to students and scholars of EU policies and politics and other related disciplines. In particular, they will benefit from the clarity with which the history and functioning of Cohesion policy is laid out. Policy-makers and other practitioners will also find this book of interest, due to its presentation of relevant debates.

Contents:

Introduction

Part I History, Principles and Theoretical Implications of Cohesion Policy
1. The History and Evolution of Cohesion Policy
2. The Institutions and Procedures of Cohesion Policy
3. The Economic Theory of Cohesion Policy
4. Cohesion Policy, Multilevel Governance and Democracy
5. Cohesion Policy and Europeanisation
6. Quality of Government, Regional Autonomy and Cohesion Policy Allocations to EU Regions

Part II The Politics and Institutions of Cohesion Policy
7. The Commission and Cohesion Policy
8. Cohesion Policy Reform and the Evolving Role of the Council
9. The European Parliament and Cohesion Policy
10. The European Committee of the Regions and EU Cohesion policy
11. The European Court of Auditors and Cohesion Policy
12. Cohesion Policy, EU Economic Governance and the Role of the European Investment Bank
13. Cohesion Policy and Regional Mobilization
14. The Impact of Cohesion Policy on Regionalist Parties’ Positions on European Integration

Part III Cohesion Policy and the Member States
15. Cohesion Policy in the Southern Periphery
16. Cohesion Policy in the Service Economies of the North
17. Cohesion Policy in the Rich Central Regions
18. Cohesion Policy in the Sparsely Populated Countries
19. Cohesion Policy in Central and Eastern Europe: The Challenge of Learning

Part IV Cohesion Policy and Broader European Strategies
20. Cohesion Policy and Rural Development
21. Cohesion Policy and Transportation
22. Smart Specialisation in the Reformed EU Cohesion Policy
23. Cohesion Policy and the Green Economy
24. New Strategic Approaches to Territorial Cooperation in Europe: from Euro-regions to European Groupings for Territorial Cooperation (EGTCs) and Macro-regional Strategies
25. EU Cohesion Policy in the Eastern Partnership Region: A Case of External Europeanisation
26. Cohesion Policy and the Cities: An Ambivalent Relationship

Part V Critical Perspectives and Debates
27. The ‘Real’ Principles of Cohesion Policy
28. Impact Assessment of EU Cohesion Policy: Theoretical and Empirical Issues
29. Does Cohesion Policy Lead to Economic Convergence?
30. The Social Dimension of Cohesion Policy
31. The Territoriality of Cohesion Policy
32. Multilevel Governance and Multiscalar Forms of Territorialisation

Index