Projects

The project involved research on the territorial effects of applying the EU acquis, Community policies and pre-accession Instruments. The study was undertaken with a view to formulating policy recommendations for the support of territorial cohesion in an enlarged EU. In particular the research focused on: the development and application of a methodology for the territorial impact assessment of past pre-accession programmes and of the adoption of the acquis; investigate the interplay between EU policies and national spatial policies; recommend further policy developments for the support of territorial cohesion. Working as part of an international consortium, EPRC is responsible for a number of thematic components of the research and for the country analysis of the Czech Republic.

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 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 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

The project involved research on the evolutionary experience of monitoring in the EU Member States to highlight useful lessons and examples for Phare cross-border cooperation (CBC) programmes in Poland. An overview presentation of monitoring and indicator definition in mainstream Structural Fund programmes was provided initially, before a more specific assesment was undertaken of monitoring in cross-border programmes. This was illustrated from current Interreg programmes and particularly those on the external EU border. The operationalisation of monitoring indicators and concluding challenges for the Polish CBC programmes was also assessed.

This project involved research on the reform of the Structural Funds and the position to be adopted by the UK in the forthcoming negotiations. It was intended as an initial step towards determining the valued added of the Structural Funds in the UK and their relationship with national policies. The goal of the feasibility study was to provide evidence allowing the UK Government to decide upon the shape and scope of a future evaluation of the impact and added value of enterprise and regeneration activity funded by Structural Funds in the UK.

The IQ-Net project involves comparative research and knowledge exchange on the management and implementation of EU Structural Funds programmes. Funded by national and regional authorities from across the EU, the project investigates how EU Cohesion policy is implemented on the ground, and facilitates policy learning and exchaneg of experience on themes relating to programme design, management and delivery.

Visit the project website here.

The EoRPA project involves comparative research and knowledge exchange on regional policy in Europe, involving annual reviews of regional policies in Europe (covering 30 countries) focusing on EU Cohesion policy and the impact of EU Competition policy on regional policy on policy objectives, instruments, eligible areas, governance and effectivenes. Funded by a consortium of national government departments, EoRPA also involves research in the interactions between national regional policies and EU Cohesion policy and EU Competition policy.