ABSTRACT
The reform of the European Community’s Structural Funds in 1988 represented a fundamental change in the administration of Community assistance towards economic and social cohesion. In particular, it emphasised the need for concentration of effort on those regions experiencing the greatest difficulties, improved co-ordination of the structural instruments and a greater partnership between the Commission and all relevant authorities at national, regional and local level within each Member State (Bachtler and Michie 1993). A key element in this reform was a switch from a project-based to a programme-based approach to financing over a five-year period 1989–1993 (Commission of the European Communities 1989). It has been estimated that this reform has involved almost a thousand individual operational-level programmes and global grants (Bachtler and Michie 1993). This chapter assesses the impact of one such programme – the Industrial Development Operational Programme (IDOP) for Northern Ireland (Department of Economic Development 1990a). Whilst much has been written about the methodology of evaluation (Foley 1992; Hart 1992) there is still a need for the dissemination of evaluation findings and on the lessons arising.
