To combat economic disparity and low growth, the European Union has established an integrated policy system that pursues increased cohesion and smart, sustainable, and inclusive growth. This integrated approach is realized through thousands of development projects and takes up more than a third of the total budget of the European Union. Despite its significance, the policy is subject to many misunderstandings and there is a lot of controversy surrounding its effectiveness.

Cohesion and Growth seeks to bring clarity to these issues. It presents both the theoretical and practical aspects of EU intervention, a critical contribution to the understanding of the anatomy of the problems and the way to apply effective solutions to them, and a systematic view of the issues at each of the subsequent stages of the whole policy cycle.

Offering an authoritative analysis of the problems and debates involved, this book is essential reading for students, policy makers, project promoters and researchers concerned with this key area of European policy making.