A long-term assessment of the achievements of the EU Cohesion Policy that draws out the key policy implications thereof.

John Bachtler is Professor of European Policy Studies and Director at the European Policies Research Centre at the University of Strathclyde.

Preface / 1. Introduction: Understanding the Effectiveness of EU Cohesion Policy / 2. The Evaluation of EU Cohesion Policy / 3. A Different Approach to Evaluating Cohesion Policy: Theory-Based Evaluation / 4. What was the Problem? Regional Development Challenges and Needs / 5. Regional Strategies and their Relevance to Needs / 6. The Effectiveness of Programmes in Achieving Objectives / 7. The Relevance of Programmes to Regional Needs: Utility / 8. Implications for the Design and Implementation of Policies and Programmes / 9. Conclusions / Bibliography / Index