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Cohesion Policy and Regional Development

Walker, Seán LU (2026) EKHS21 20261
Department of Economic History
Abstract
One of the main activities of the European Union (EU) is fostering unity and integration through its Cohesion Policy and emphasis on regional development. The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) represents a substantial share of the EU Structural Funds, which seek to decrease economic disparities between regions in the member states. This thesis presents the first annual estimates of ERDF expenditure at the NUTS III regional level in Ireland for the period 1989-2020, using various methods of annualisation and regionalisation of previously existing data. It evaluates the impact of ERDF expenditure on regional average incomes and growth levels in Ireland for the first time and finds mixed evidence. While ERDF is correlated with higher... (More)
One of the main activities of the European Union (EU) is fostering unity and integration through its Cohesion Policy and emphasis on regional development. The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) represents a substantial share of the EU Structural Funds, which seek to decrease economic disparities between regions in the member states. This thesis presents the first annual estimates of ERDF expenditure at the NUTS III regional level in Ireland for the period 1989-2020, using various methods of annualisation and regionalisation of previously existing data. It evaluates the impact of ERDF expenditure on regional average incomes and growth levels in Ireland for the first time and finds mixed evidence. While ERDF is correlated with higher levels of income growth, it shows little significance in statistical regression models. The contributions of this research are important due to the novelty of the data constructed which enabled a first-of-its-kind analysis. (Less)
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author
Walker, Seán LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
Cohesion Policy and Regional Development: An Empirical Investigation into European Regional Development Fund Expenditure and Regional Incomes in Ireland (1995-2024)
course
EKHS21 20261
year
type
H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
subject
keywords
Regional Development, European Regional Development Fund, Ireland
language
English
id
9243273
date added to LUP
2026-09-07 13:44:32
date last changed
2026-09-07 13:44:32
@misc{9243273,
  abstract     = {{One of the main activities of the European Union (EU) is fostering unity and integration through its Cohesion Policy and emphasis on regional development. The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) represents a substantial share of the EU Structural Funds, which seek to decrease economic disparities between regions in the member states. This thesis presents the first annual estimates of ERDF expenditure at the NUTS III regional level in Ireland for the period 1989-2020, using various methods of annualisation and regionalisation of previously existing data. It evaluates the impact of ERDF expenditure on regional average incomes and growth levels in Ireland for the first time and finds mixed evidence. While ERDF is correlated with higher levels of income growth, it shows little significance in statistical regression models. The contributions of this research are important due to the novelty of the data constructed which enabled a first-of-its-kind analysis.}},
  author       = {{Walker, Seán}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Cohesion Policy and Regional Development}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}