This ambitious Handbookcovers the history, functioning and impact of cohesion policy, arguably the most tangible presence of the European Union in its twenty-eight member states. The contributions combine world-renowned scholars and country experts to discuss, in six parts, the policy's history and governing principles; the theoretical approaches from which it can be assessed; the inter-institutional and multi-level dynamics that it elicits; its practical implementation and impact on EU Member States; its interactions with other EU policies and strategies; and the cognitive maps and narratives with which it can be associated. This Handbook will be an invaluable resource to students and scholars of EU policies and politics and other related disciplines. In particular, they will benefit from the clarity with which the history and functioning of cohesion policy is laid out. Policy makers and other practitioners will also find this book of interest, due to its presentation of relevant debates. Contributors include: A. Ágh, J. Aprans, R. Atkinson, J. Bachtler, J. Balsiger, J. Baudner, I. Begg, M. Brunazzo, R.L. Bubbico, A. Catalina Rubianes, D. Charles, N. Charron, R. Crescenzi, M. Dabrowski, A. Dahs, F. De Filippis, S. Gänzle, D. Hübner, A. Faiña, A. Faludi, V. Fargion, U. Fratesi, P.R. Graziano, E. Gualini, E. Hepburn, C. Holguin, G. Karakatsanis, E. Kazamaki Ottersten, A. Kovács, A. Lenschow, R. Leonardi, J. Lopez-Rodriguez, E. Massetti, P. McCann, C. Mendez, P. Montes-Solla, T. Muravska, T. Notermans, R.l Ortega-Argilés, I. Pálné Kovács, S. Piattoni, L. Polverari, S. Profeti, A.H. Schakel, J. Schönlau, M.K. Sioliou, P. Stephenson, I. Tömmel, M. Weber, K. Zimmermann

Table of Contents:
Contents: Introduction Simona Piattoni and Laura Polverari Part I History, Principles and Theoretical Implications of Cohesion Policy 1. The History and Evolution of Cohesion Policy Marco Brunazzo 2. The Institutions and Procedures of Cohesion Policy Paul Stephenson 3. The Economic Theory of Cohesion Policy Iain Begg 4. Cohesion Policy, Multilevel Governance and Democracy Simona Piattoni 5. Cohesion Policy and Europeanisation Marcin Dąbrowski and Paolo R. Graziano 6. Quality of Government, Regional Autonomy and Cohesion Policy Allocations to EU Regions Nicholas Charron Part II The Politics and Institutions of Cohesion Policy 7. The Commission and Cohesion Policy Ingeborg Tömmel 8. Cohesion Policy Reform and the Evolving Role of the Council John Bachtler and Carlos Mendez 9. The European Parliament and Cohesion Policy Danuta Hübner 10. The European Committee of the Regions and EU Cohesion policy Justus Schönlau 11. The European Court of Auditors and Cohesion Policy George Karakatsanis and Martin Weber 12. Cohesion Policy, EU Economic Governance and the Role of the European Investment Bank Rocco L. Bubbico, Angel Catalina Rubianes, Eugenia Kazamaki Ottersten and Maria Siolou 13. Cohesion Policy and Regional Mobilization Eve Hepburn 14. The Impact of Cohesion Policy on Regionalist Parties’ Positions on European Integration Emanuele Massetti and Arjan H. Schakel Part III Cohesion Policy and the Member States 15. Cohesion Policy in the Southern Periphery Laura Polverari 16. Cohesion Policy in the Service Economies of the North David Charles 17. Cohesion Policy in the Rich Central Regions Jörg Balsiger 18. Cohesion Policy in the Sparsely Populated Countries Tatjana Muravska, Jānis Aprāns and Aleksandrs Dahs 19. Cohesion Policy in Central and Eastern Europe: The Challenge of Learning Ilona Pálné Kovács Part IV Cohesion Policy and Broader European Strategies 20. Cohesion Policy and Rural Development Riccardo Crescenzi and Fabrizio De Filippis 21. Cohesion Policy and Transportation Andres Faiña, Jesús Lopéz-Rodriguez and Paulino Montes-Solla 22. Smart Specialisation in the Reformed EU Cohesion Policy Philip McCann and Raquel Ortega-Argilés 23. Cohesion Policy and the Green Economy Andrea Lenschow and Jörg Baudner 24. New Strategic Approaches to Territorial Cooperation in Europe: from Euro-regions to European Groupings for Territorial Cooperation (EGTCs) and Macro-regional Strategies Stefan Gänzle 25. EU Cohesion Policy in the Eastern Partnership Region: A Case of External Europeanisation Attila Ágh and Attila Kovács 26. Cohesion Policy and the Cities: An Ambivalent Relationship Rob Atkinson and Karsten Zimmermann Part V Critical Perspectives and Debates 27. The ‘Real’ Principles of Cohesion Policy Robert Leonardi and Catalina Holguin 28. Impact Assessment of EU Cohesion Policy: Theoretical and Empirical Issues Ugo Fratesi 29. Does Cohesion Policy Lead to Economic Convergence? Ton Notermans 30. The Social Dimension of Cohesion Policy Valeria Fargion and Stefania Profeti 31. The Territoriality of Cohesion Policy Andreas Faludi 32. Multilevel Governance and Multiscalar Forms of Territorialisation Enrico Gualini Index