The Regional Dimension in European Public Policy: Convergence or Divergence?

✍ Scribed by Martin Reiner

• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 218
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Regional policy is likely to remain an important feature of European integration for many years to come. The first part of this book shows why a fast, automatic reduction of the regional socio-economic disparities within the EU is unlikely. The book analyses the key features of EU regional policy and investigates whether European regional policy is well co-ordinated with other European and national public policies that have an impact on the regional distribution of economic activity. Three policy areas are looked at in detail: national regional investment grants, research and development policy, and transport and infrastructure policy. The analysis identifies shortcomings within EU regional policy and co-ordination problems with other public policies, notably EU state aid control. Moreover, the results indicate that the cohesion problems within the EU are to a significant extent home-made by the countries concerned.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover......Page 1
Contents......Page 8
List of Tables......Page 13
List of Figures......Page 16
List of Boxes......Page 18
Acknowledgements......Page 19
List of Abbreviations......Page 20
1 Introduction......Page 22
I: Regional Convergence or Divergence in the European Union?......Page 26
2.1 A Short History of European Economic Integration......Page 28
2.2 The Regional Organisation of the European Union......Page 30
2.3 Regional Economic Disparities within the EU......Page 32
3.1 Convergence Theory......Page 40
3.2 Divergence Theory......Page 49
3.3 Conclusions: The Ambiguity of Theoretical Predictions......Page 60
4.1 National Economic Performance in the Cohesion Countries......Page 62
4.2 Determinants of Regional Convergence......Page 67
4.3 Conclusions: Can Regional Policy Foster Convergence?......Page 87
II: European Regional Policy and the Problem of Policy Co-ordination......Page 90
5.1 Rationales for European Regional Policy......Page 92
5.2 EU Regional Policy – Past and Present......Page 98
5.3 Regional Policy after 1999 and Eastern Enlargement......Page 116
5.4 Conclusions......Page 118
6 National and European Regional Policy: an Uneasy Relationship......Page 122
6.1 The Economic Effects of Regional Incentives......Page 123
6.2 Hypotheses about the Spatial Distribution of Regional Incentives......Page 125
6.3 An Empirical Analysis for European Regions......Page 128
6.4 Conclusions......Page 138
7 Human Capital Investments and Cohesion: the Case of R&D Policy......Page 141
7.1 R&D and Economic Growth – a Review......Page 142
7.2 R&D Endowments in the European Union......Page 144
7.3 R&D Funding in the European Union......Page 150
7.4 Conclusions: R&D Policies and Cohesion......Page 160
8.1 Infrastructure, Productivity and Convergence – a Review......Page 162
8.2 Transport Infrastructure Endowments in European Regions......Page 166
8.3 National Transport Infrastructure Investments in the EU......Page 169
8.4 European Transport Policy......Page 172
8.5 Conclusions: Public Transport Policy and Cohesion......Page 181
9 Conclusions and Policy Recommendations......Page 184
A.2 National Regional Incentives and the Eligibility of Regions for Productive Sector Support......Page 192
A.3 Data on R&D Personnel and Expenditures......Page 193
Notes......Page 198
References......Page 204
E......Page 215
I......Page 216
S......Page 217
W......Page 218