ABSTRACT
Academic research and evaluation studies have reached widely differing conclusions on the results of interventions through Structural and Cohesion Funds. This chapter begins by outlining the context for the research and the methodology. It discusses the nature of the strategies implemented over the 1989-2012 period, their relevance to the regional development situation of the 15 regions and the expenditure committed over time and to different themes. The chapter also focuses on the assessment of the achievements of the programmes, and their effectiveness and utility. A range of methodological approaches have been used to analyse the effectiveness, impact and added value of Cohesion Policy funding, principally macroeconomic models, regression analysis, micro-economic studies and qualitative case studies. The chapter examines the achievements of all regional programmes and regionally implemented national programmes co-financed by the ERDF and, where applicable, the Cohesion Fund that has been implemented in the 15 selected regions from 1989 to 2012.
