Drawing on a decade of EPRC research on the EU budget and Cohesion policy reform, John Bachtler, Carlos Mendez and Fiona Wishlade have published a new book "EU Cohesion Policy and European Integration: The Dynamics of EU Budget and Regional Policy Reform".
EU Cohesion policy accounts for a major share of the EU budget and is central to economic and social development in many European countries. This book provides a comprehensive and theoretically-informed analysis of how Cohesion policy has evolved over time, in particular the budgetary and policy dynamics of the 2007-13 reform. In the context of the budgetary politics of the EU, the book examines the process by which the reform of Cohesion policy has been shaped; it identifies the key factors that explain the allocation of funding, assesses the roles of the Member States, European Commission and European Parliament, and tests whether the process and outcome are consistent with the expectations of EU decision-making and integration theories.
Based on extensive, EU-wide research over a ten-year period, the book provides new insights into both the process and outcomes of EU policy reform. Presenting original research in an accessible format, this book will be of interest to scholars as well as undergraduate and postgraduate students in the fields of European integration and policy studies.
Reviewers have commented that the book "distils the knowledge, experience and policy expertise of academics at the leading centre for research on European cohesion policy, providing a rich and thoughtful guide to the complexities of one of the EU's flagship policies" (Professor Iain Begg) and "provides fascinating and important new insights into the evolution of EU cohesion policy [adding] considerable detail and nuance to the view that it is just another battleground for member states fighting over EU spending. It is essential reading for anyone interested in EU policies and policy processes" (Professor Rob Ackrill).
The book and further detail are available from Ashgate website.
Other EPRC publications related to European integration available here.