John Bachtler is Professor of European Policy Studies and Director of the European Policies Research Centre at the University of Strathclyde.Iain Begg is a Professorial Research Fellow at the European Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science. David Charles is Professor of Innovation and Strategic Management at the Lincoln Business School, University of Lincoln.Laura Polverari is Senior Research Fellow in the European Policies Research Centre, 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

Examining the cohesion policies of the EU from 1989 to 2012, this study assesses the success and effectiveness of the policy, particularly in relation to its large budget. The authors endeavour to provide EU policy makers and academics with lessons drawn from 15 case studies around Europe.