The cohesion deficit in Structural Fund policy
- August 2001
The Structural Funds of the European Union have proved to be blunt policy instruments in serving their stated purpose of enhancing both economic and social cohesion. Cohesion policy is embedded in a context of intergovernmental bargaining on budgetary allocations which structures the core of the policy around the yardstick of GDP per capita. This complicates the targeting of the funds on real deprivation. Moreover, a pork barrel logic in policy implementation favours better organized and advantage groups within regions. This situation, as well as the growing saliency of inequality issues at EU level, have raised concern with the question of who benefits? from cohesion policy. The European Commision, some member states and local actors are responding by developing efforts to tackle deprivation as expeienced by EU citizens locally. However, they face important constraints in doing so, which raises broader questions about political representation and acess to decision-making in the Union
Economic and Social Cohesion Policy structure Structural Funds Targeting Disadvantage