The thesis "EU cohesion policy and its impact on the Moravian-Silesian Region" is divided into three chapters. The first chapter of the thesis describes the stages of development in the economic and social cohesion of the European integration process. This chapter is deals with the fundamental attributes of cohesion policy, which are the objectives, tools and principles. Attention is paid to the financing of the Cohesion Policy within the European Union. In the second chapter, "Cohesion Policy in the Czech Republic," the author introduces cohesion in the Czech Republic. This chapter describes the basic documents that are used for the implementation of cohesion policy in the CR and the operational programs of which the Czech Republic draws allocation. The last part of this thesis is focused on the Moravian-Silesian Region. Attention is focused on the analysis of whether the region adequately draws the funds with which it is offered through the cohesion policy and the impact of cohesion policy in this region.The aim of my work is to highlight the importance of cohesion policy. I will try to outline the role played by cohesion policy in the European Union, which takes form in the Czech Republic and how it affects the Moravian-Silesian Region. The work has illustrated the economic and social cohesion as a tool for improving the socio-economic level. I would like to assess how big a role of cohesion policy in the Region and the effect on this region.

“Territorial Cohesion” has been a topic of intense debate within the EU Policy lexicon. This has been partly because it’s still in cycles of interpretations and is in a quest for an acceptable and a discreet operational framework. However, parallel to ongoing discourses, Cohesion Policy for the period 2014-20 has been rolled out. The thesis is an attempt to examine and suggest, as to what extent, the current architecture of Cohesion Policy is contributing to achieve “Territorial Cohesion”, a Treaty objective, in its programmes, particularly the transnational programmes under the European Territorial Co-operation objective. “Territorial Cohesion” has been analyzed in specific Cohesion Policy regulations, programmes and validated by stakeholder inputs. A suitable theoretical outline, i.e. “conformance” and “performance” framework and a qualitative research approach have been employed to arrive at the conclusions. Cohesion Policy in its current cycle is focused on delivering Europe 2020 strategy’s priorities of “smart, sustainable and inclusive growth”. The articulation of “Territorial Cohesion” objectives therefore is inadequately done in the scope and theme as well as in “programming” of Cohesion Policy. Interventions are proposed in its architecture to finesse Cohesion Policy-Territorial Cohesion interface, key to meeting Cohesion Policy goals.

This study investigates whether there is a link between the successful implementation of European cohesion policy and the voters' attitudes towards the EU. Using the French presidential elections in 2017 as a case study, we do not solely consider regional funds expenditures but also its induced effects in a region as further potential determinant of pro-European or eurosceptic voting behavior. In order to measure the effectiveness of EU structural funds and Cohesion Fund assignment, firm-level employment effects in French NUTS-2 regions stemming from project allocation during the multi-annual financial framework 2007-2013 are estimated. The obtained average treatment effects are, in a next step, used together with other regional characteristics to capture the citizens' perceived exposure to the EU in an empirical voting model for the French presidential election in 2017. The estimation results reveal a significant negative relationship between the effectiveness of EU funds allocation and the vote share of the eurosceptic candidate Marine Le Pen. / Series: Department of Economics Working Paper Series

This work describes cohesion policy on three levels: cohesion policy of EU, of Czech republic and of North-East cohesion region. The first chapter is about cohesion policy in EU. It contains information about legal and programming documents and about development of cohesion policy. The second chapter describes cohesion policy in the Czech republic. It deals with documents, programs and authorities. The third chapter is about cohesion policy in the North-East cohesion region. It characterizes situation in the region, operational programs and concrete projects.

This thesis offers a complex view on the Integrated Operational Programme from the point of view of its structure, focus, supported areas and also its implementation structure. Further it offers evaluation of actual situation of implementation and realization activities of this operational programme.

The diploma thesis deals with cohesion funding in the Czech Republic. The main focus is put on risk factors of cohesion funding in Czech Republic in the programming period of 2007 -- 2013. The main output of this thesis is the analysis of factors that could cause possible financial corrections of the amount stated for the Czech Republic in the programming period of 2007 -- 2013. The theoretical part is focused on description of Cohesion policy of European Union and funding. The practical part analyzes the main risk factors of drawing funds from European resources in the Czech Republic -- additionality, amount of drawn funds and system of management and control.

Regional and Cohesion Policy is the EU's most operational and close-citizen development policy, with visible results. However, with interdependent economic, social, and territorial dimensions, impact of Cohesion Policy (CP) in various regions and social groups has become a contested subject recently. Besides, a particular importance has been given to promoting social cohesion in recent years as a result of successful enlargement waves and economic financial crisis that have brought significant socioeconomic imbalances across social groups including marginalised communities and minorities. CP has broadened its scope to include more social issues and human rights in line with EU strategies in recent years, despite the fact that it does not directly reflect a minority policy. As a result, combating with social exclusion and promoting social inclusion with focus on minorities and vulnerable groups has become CP's primary objectives during the last two programming periods. Therefore, this study examines social inclusion objective of CP in a particular minority region, Western Thrace of Greece, where the Turkish minority exist. Focusing on two main criteria of social inclusion, active participation to socioeconomic and public life and access to resources, services and rights, this study aims to reveal to...

The thesis analyses the 2013 Cohesion Policy reform as a case of European integration. By revisiting neofunctionalism and combining it with the Multiple Streams approach, it is possible to provide a new angle to the phenomenon of the Cohesion Policy’s integration into the European economic governance framework. The thesis utilises qualitative content analysis to systematically analyse the dynamics that influenced the reform process and eventually lead to the establishment of new integrative linkages. It is revealed how the integration dynamics originated in the economic policy arena and spilled over into the Cohesion Policy reform. Consequently, the thesis concludes that the neofunctionalist concept of functional spillover remains a powerful analytical tool and it is shown in what way neofunctional mechanisms continue to materialise in the European polity.

This dissertation offers insights into the use of ideas in policies designed to address uneven territorial development in regions outside metropolitan areas in the European Union (EU). The focus is on integrated territorial development policies which draw on the notion of territorial cohesion in two different national contexts within the EU: Germany and Romania. The theoretical background of the thesis traces how territorial disparities are addressed in key theoretical paradigms which have influenced regional development thinking. Integrated territorial development is singled out as a key policy approach designed to overcome development disparities by tapping into underutilised endogenous assets and knowledge as part of a cross-sectoral vision within a defined space (be it an urban, rural, or regional context). Forward-thinking as this approach strives to be, it faces fundamental challenges in places which have been grappling with a rise of economic, social, and political disparities for many years. Understanding these processes through the relational concept of peripheralisation steers research towards engaging with people’s perceptions of spatial disparities and policies designed to address them. The conceptual framework of the thesis is designed around principles which enable an interpretive analysis of public policy. This mode of inquiry is based on an anti-foudnationalist ontology and a constructivist epistemology. The cornerstone of this approach is understanding policy actions as indeterminate, prone to unintended consequences, and fundamentally shaped by the backtalk of the complex social system it seeks to influence. Policy-making and implementing is hence viewed as a setting in which disparate and contingent beliefs and actions of individuals come together to shape a temporarily concerted course of actions. Different types of policy ideas (in many cases belonging to different schools of thought) hence come together in a process of policy framing where policy substance, actors’ identities and relationships, and the policy process are shaped. To operationalise this framework, the methodological design of this research follows an abductive mode of scientific inquiry which pursues an iterative engagement with the field and the theory. The empirical research is designed around two case study regions – the Chemnitz Region in The Free State of Saxony (one of Germany’s 16 federal states) and the North-West Region in Romania. The rationale behind the selection of the case studies was to choose regions in starkly different policy contexts, yet which are as similar as possible in terms of their socio-economic development trajectories. The study analyses three policy instruments: integrated urban development funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), integrated rural development funded through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and regional development planning initiatives. The primary data stems from 43 semi-structured expert interviews conducted with 46 policy practitioners and experts. Policy documents, local and regional strategies, and statistics have served as a source of secondary data. The analytical approach draws on principles of grounded theory for inductively developing theoretical categories and establishing causal explanations in the form of mid-level, provisional theories. The first block of the analysis engages with the substance of integrated territorial development policies and strategies, showcasing different interpretations of territorial cohesion in national contexts. Governments in both contexts view territorial cohesion as a means of strengthening the governance and coordination of policies, with a focus on local development conditions. Nonetheless, little emphasis is put on the competitive polycentric development approach, balanced development, and the environmental dimensions. In both studied contexts, polarised development is grasped as an inevitable approach for overcoming broad regional structural weaknesses. The second analytical block engages with policy processes which underpin the implementation of integrated territorial development strategies. This serves to highlight the settings in which policy-relevant actors apply the integrated instruments available to them. The analysis centres on the separation of urban from rural development, the ownership of the goals pursued through integrated development and the ensuing impact on actors’ motivation to engage with complex policy procedures, and the role of experts in guiding policy beneficiaries The final block of the analysis touches on the problematisation of peripheralisation in relation to integrated development instruments in four domains: demographic change, structural economic shifts, infrastructures and services of general interest, and place identity and marketing. These domains are not tied to any specific policies, but have rather emerged as salient in the inductive analysis. The research concludes with a number of open questions and suggestions for policy makers. A key observation is that the notion of territorial cohesion itself tends to bring little value added to policy programmes, as many topics are already addressed in bespoke national normative concepts and policy programmes. Far from being an end-state, territorial cohesion comes across as a process which is shaped by contrasting perceptions on competitive and balanced development; by centralised and devolved modes of governance; by functional territorial planning or network-based development windows of opportunity. The added value of policies which draw on territorial cohesion to address territorial disparities may lay in bringing the perspective of peripheralised policy communities to the forefront of the debate and enabling innovative forms of cooperation.:Preface and acknowledgments – iii Table of contents – vii List of figures and tables – xi Abbreviations – xv Introduction – 1 PART I: THEORETICAL, CONCEPTUAL, AND METHODOLOGICAL GROUNDS 1. Theoretical insights into territorial cohesion and disparities in the EU – 15 1.1. Key shifts in regional development policy thinking – 15 1.1.1. The neoliberalisation of regional and local development – 16 1.1.2. The neoliberalising logic of strategic spatial planning – 23 1.1.3. New approaches towards development policies – 24 1.2. Normative and policy dimensions of territorial cohesion – 26 1.2.1. Establishing European planning concepts – 27 1.2.2. Dimensions of territorial cohesion and its integrative role – 30 1.3. Towards a relational understanding of territorial disparities – 36 1.3.1. Understanding territorial disparities through peripheralisation – 36 1.3.2. Ideational dependency in development policies – 39 1.4. Territorial cohesion and peripheralisation: research perspectives – 40 2. Conceptual framework – 43 2.1. Policy analysis: a constructivist perspective – 44 2.1.1. The case for an anti-foundationalist ontology of public policy – 45 2.1.2. Policy analysis in an interpretive epistemology – 49 2.2. Understanding the role of prominent policy ideas – 52 2.2.1. Decentering political science – 53 2.2.2. Prominent policy ideas: an interpretive perspective – 54 2.3. Reflexive agency in public policy – 56 2.3.1. Putting travelling ideas to use in policy design processes – 56 2.3.2. Policy frames and policy framing – 61 2.4. Guiding principles – 64 3. Methodology – 67 3.1. Interpretive analysis in spatial policy research – 68 3.2. Research design – 72 3.2.1. Key principles – 72 3.2.2. Comparing two case studies – 75 3.2.3. Generating theory: principles and quality criteria – 79 3.3. Methods – 85 3.3.1. Qualitative interviewing – 85 3.3.2. Policy and document analysis – 90 3.4. Case and respondent selection – 91 3.4.1. Selecting regions in Germany and Romania – 91 3.4.2. Selecting respondents – 95 PART II: CONTEXT 4. The administrative context of integrated territorial development policies – 105 4.1. The ESI funds and the Cohesion Policy: a brief overview – 106 4.1.1. The key aims of the ESI funds – 107 4.1.2. EU priorities for the Cohesion Policy – 108 4.1.3. Integrated territorial development – 110 4.2. Planning and regional development in Saxony and Romania – 112 4.2.1. Saxony – 113 4.2.2. Romania – 114 4.3. Policy instruments for integrated territorial development – 115 4.3.1. Saxony – 115 4.3.2. Romania – 120 4.4. Policy directions – 125 5. Territorial structures of, and development trends in the studied regions – 127 5.1. Territorial structures – 127 5.1.1. The Chemnitz region in Saxony – 127 5.1.2. The North-West region in Romania – 130 5.2. Population and demography – 133 5.3. Transport infrastructure – 135 5.4. Economic profiles – 139 5.4.1. Employment concentration – 139 5.4.2. Commuting – 142 5.4.3. Economic sectors - 142 PART III: EMPIRICAL FINDINGS 6. The substance of integrated territorial development policies and strategies – 149 6.1. Normative positions on territorial cohesion – 149 6.1.1. Normative Positions – 150 6.1.2. Linking the storylines – 152 6.1.3. Key remarks – 153 6.2. The substance of governmental policies – 155 6.2.1. Categorising space: the inevitability of polarised development – 157 6.2.2. The role of integrated territorial development policies – 163 6.3. The substance of local and regional strategies – 169 6.3.1. Integrated Rural Development Plans – 169 6.3.2. Integrated Urban Development Plans – 174 7. Ideas in action: making sense of integrated territorial development – 189 7.1.Practical constraints and affordances of using integrated instruments – 189 7.1.1. The urban-rural split in ESI-funded instruments – 189 7.1.2. Centralising the ownership of European goals – 196 7.2. The role of experts in framing integrated responses – 203 7.2.1. Experts’ roles beyond bureaucracies – 204 7.2.2. Attuning expertise to local conditions – 204 7.2.3. Conveying expertise at a regional level and beyond – 208 7.3. From ideas to action – 210 7.3.1. Fostering motivation – 210 7.3.2. Eroding trust through complex bureaucracies – 215 8. Problematising integrated development: a local-regional perspective – 219 8.1. Demographic change – 219 8.2. Structural economic shifts – 225 8.2.1. Regional economies in transition – 226 8.2.2. Towards competitive territories – 231 8.3. Infrastructures and public services – 235 8.3.1. In-between adaptation and expansion – 236 8.3.2. Key remarks – 240 8.4. Place identity and marketing – 240 8.5. From problems to perceptions of cumulative disadvantages – 247 PART IV: CONCLUSIONS 9. Conclusions and implications – 255 9.1. Summary of the research approach. Key findings – 255 9.1.1. Research approach and theoretical anchors – 255 9.1.2 Policy ideas and their role in policy framing 258 9.2. Reflections and implications – 264 9.2.1. Methodological reflections – 265 9.2.2. Policy implications – 266 9.2.3. Perspectives for further research – 269 References – 271 APPENDICES Appendix 1: Analysed policy documents – 301 Appendix 2: Analysed strategies – 303 Appendix 3: Details about the interviews – 305 Appendix 4: List of original quotes – 311

Šiame darbe norima atskleisti ES sanglaudos politikos vaidmenį kuriant Baltijos valstybių ir visos Europos Sąjungos gerovę. Remiantis naujais vertinimais, sanglaudos politika turi didelį poveikį – ji skatina darbo vietų kūrimą ir ekonominį augimą tose valstybėse narėse, kurioms labiausiai to reikia ir prisideda prie bendro Europos gyvenimo lygio kėlimo. Baltijos valstybės yra naujosios valstybės narės, todėl jose sanglaudos politika dar tik palaipsniui įgyvendinama. Baltijos valstybių regioninei politikai (kurių lygis buvo labai žemas), būdingas spartus augimas, tačiau dažniausiai sutelktas sostinės regione arba didžiuosiuose miestuose. Nuo 1995 m. pradėta Baltijos valstybių regioninės politika pasiekė nemažų laimėjimų, visų trijų Baltijos valstybių BVP išaugo kone dvigubai. Tačiau, net ir išlikus dabartinėms ekonominėms krizės sąlygomis tokiems spartiems augimo tempams, prireiks daugiau nei 15 metų, kol Lietuvos, Latvijos ir Estijos BVP vienam gyventojui sudarys 75 proc. 27 ES šalių vidurkio. Sanglaudos politika daro poveikį ne tik Baltijos valstybių augimui, bet yra glaudžiai susijusi ir su kitomis Bendrijos politikos kryptimis: valstybės pagalbos, paramos inovacijoms ar informacinės visuomenės, aplinkosaugos. Baltijos valstybės įgyvendindamos sanglaudos politiką gerina ir modernizuoja viešąjį administravimą, mokosi gero valdymo ir skaidrumo, kurdamos bendrą Europos Sąjungos ir kiekvienos valstybės gerovę. Darbo tikslas – išanalizuoti Europos Sąjungos sanglaudos politiką... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The most important aim in this work is to unfold the role of EU cohesion policy by creating the welfare of the Baltic countries and all European Union. Appealing by new estimations, cohesion policy has a very big impact – it promotes work places establishment and economical development in those countries members, that need it most and further to rise the level of Europe life. Baltic countries are the new countrie‘s members, therefore in these countries cohesion policy is being implemented step by step. Fast development is for Baltic countries regional policy (which level is very low), but often it is focused in capital‘s region or in the biggest cities. Since 1995 started regional policy of Baltic countries achieved not small accomplishment, all of three Baltic countries GDP increased doubly. Therefore, even if such fast rate of increase remained by recent economical crisis conditions, it is needed more than 15 years, till GDP of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia for one citizen will amount 75 percent 27 EU countries‘ average. Cohesion policy makes an impact not only for Baltic countries development but is also closely in involved with other directions of Community policy: countrie‘s help, supports for innovations or informative society‘s environments control‘s. Baltic countries improve and modernize administration, learn about leadership and lucidity by creating communal European Union and welfare of every country. The aim of the work – to analise the... [to full text]