Rethinking Regional Policy at National and European Levels: Short-Term Pressures and Long-Term Challenges

The aim of this report is to review recent changes in domestic regional policies across Europe, focusing on policy change over the 2011-12 period. The report has three main sections covering: an analysis of regional economic problems and trends in Europe over different timescales; a typology for understanding the different regional policy responses; and a review of recent changes to regional policies across 29 countries. The report is based on research in individual European countries and presented in a series of country reports that have been provided separately (see EoRPA Paper 12/2). The paper is supported by a series of comparative tables that summarise the main regional policy instruments (see EoRPA Paper 12/3).