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.
Contents: Preface; Part 1 The Theoretical and Policy Context: Introduction - analyzing the reform of EU cohesion policy; Understanding cohesion policy; The European regional development fund: a political history. 1958-1985; The institutionalization of EU cohesion policy: from the Single European Act to Agenda 2000; Budgetary politics - how much, who pays and who gains?; From doubling to capping - cohesion policy allocations 1989-1999. Part 2 Pressures for reform: EU enlargement and cohesion policy; The added value of cohesion policy. Part 3 The Reform Debate: Preparing the ground for reform - the European Commission's proposals; National interests in cohesion policy and the positions of member states; Charting the negotiations on the reform of cohesion policy; Negotiating the legislative package. Part 4 Conclusions and Policy Implications: Conclusions: the past, present and future of cohesion policy; References; Index.
