Projects

The project involved an international comparative study on the delivery of economic development policies in the regions of selected EU countries. Four case studies were undertaken - Denmark, France, England and Flanders - where organisations that implement the national economic development agenda in the regions were studied.

The project involved analysis of the lessons learned by regions and other partners in transnational and inter-regional co-operation projects in the fields of spatial planning and regional development in this part of Europe, and to identify the practical and policy lessons for effective inter-regional co-operation projects. The study provided a solid basis for Nordic-Scottish cooperation, providing an overview of what had been carried out and achieved to date, a synthesis of the lessons for policy-makers and the identification of ‘good practice’ in the seven fields defined as being of specific importance for future Nordic-Scottish co-operation.

The project comprised research for the mid-term evaluation of the Nordrhein Westfalen 2000-06 Objective 2 programme. EPRC research focused on two areas: (i) the evaluation of the coherence of the strategy and the quantification of its objectives and targets as well as contributory role in other parts of the evaluation; (ii) the cooperation with the Scottish Objective 2 programmes, benchmarking the horizontal priorities and comparison of the main outcomes of both evaluation exercises. The overall aim was to achieve a deeper and comparative understanding of programming and a mutual basis for learning and development.

The project involved investigation of the role of Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) in the Central and East European EU Candidate Countries and specifically in the Czech Republic and Poland. The research has four specific objectives: i) to review the operation and legislative basis of RDAs across the Central and East European Candidate Countries, providing the context for more detailed work on Poland and the Czech Republic; ii) for the Czech Republic and Poland, to examine the role, position and status of RDAs within current institutional and administrative infrastructures, including: - a review of: the political and economic context in which the RDAs operate, relevant government policy and legislation; the position of RDAs within existing national and sub-national economic development structures; the involvement of RDAs with EU pre-accession aid and future Structural Funds; and a comparison of the structures, aims and responsibilities of RDAs within and between the case study countries. iii) to analyse the evolution, current status and future prospects for RDAs in the Czech Republic and Poland.

The project comprised an evaluation of the changing role of the region in the processes of regional economic restructuring in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The research hypothesised that processes of regionalisation are creating new institutional relationships and that these developments are having an impact on the formulation and implementation of regional economic programmes. The research aimed to establish how regional-level institutions of governance in CEE fit into the broader European trend of regionalisation and examine the implications for regional economic development. Three sets of issues were addressed: (i) the process and motivations of regionalisation; (ii) institutional relationships, power balances and networks influencing regional economic development; and (iii) policy implications, including in the light of future EU accession. The research involved detailed comparative case study analysis of neighbouring heavy industrial regions in the Czech Republic and Poland to allow an in-depth analysis of the issues within the dynamic reality of continued controversy, ambiguity and institutional instability.

The project involved the analysis of experiences from inter-regional co-operation projects under the North Sea and Northern Periphery programmes, to disseminate learning from projects, to highlight practical results achieved and to identify policy lessons on effective project co-operation for the new programmes.

The project involved two parallel and inter-related research streams which were undertaken concurrently: (i) evaluation of the 1994-99 Poland-Germany Cross-Border Cooperation Programmes, focusing on the impact of transport infrastructures; (ii) Development of an indicator system to support future CBC programmes. The first element was the ex post evaluaton of the 1994-99 CBC programmes, while the second addressed tasks associated with ex ante appraisal, establishing the necessary indicator frameworks to inform the monitoring and evaluability of future Interreg IIIA programmes, and to accelerate preparations for the transition to the Structural Funds upon Poland's accession to the EU.

This project involved undertaking the mid-term evaluation of the 2000-06 special transitional programme for the Highlands and Islands. The study, which will ran from September 2002 until September 2003, was organised into six key phases: (i) Design of research materials, initial analysis of financial progress, initial analysis of physical progress, and initial review of quantification ; (ii) Consultation with stakeholders, data input and analysis, delivery of interim report; (iii) Validation of reported outcomes, analysis of strategic relevance, review of Programme processes, review of Community added value, contribution to parallel policy initiatives, review of integration of horizontal themes ; (iv) Final review of financial progress, final review of physical progress, estimation of Programme impacts, forecast for progress towards the Performance Reserve targets, and review of changes to strategy; (v) Delivery of the Draft Final and Final Report; (iv) Review of updated estimates of progress towards the targets for the Performance Reserve

The project involved a comprehensive assessment of the economic and political factors influencing the process of enlargement and the potential impact of this process for Greece. Particular focus was placed on the regional development and agriculture-related issues associated with EU enlargement. This included an analysis of the reform debate and options for the EU Structural Funds and Common Agricultural Policy, including the budgetary implications, focusing on the potential impact for Greece. Related to this, the study also examined the regional development implications of enlargement for Greek regions and key sectors, before drawing together a number of key recommendations and conclusions.

The project involved research on potential partner regions with which North East England could explore international alliances. The project involved producing a list of European regions with matching economic and strategic characteristics to the North East and intensive case-study research in seven regions on the scope for learning from economic development good practice and developing future partnerships