Who Governs EU Cohesion Policy?
Author InfoJOHN BACHTLER CARLOS MENDEZ Abstract This article re-assesses the multi-level governance debate and specifically the ‘renationalization thesis’, with respect to EU cohesion policy. It focuses on two of the principles of decision-making under the structural funds: concentration (decisions on where the money is spent) and programming (decisions on how it is spent). The analysis takes a longitudinal approach, examining each of the policy phases from 1988 until the recent debate on the 2007-13 period. The article concludes that the role of national governments (relative to the European Commission) in key decisions on the implementation of cohesion policy has been exaggerated in the literature and that important arguments underpinning the ‘renationalization thesis’ are flawed. Copyright (c) 2007 The Author(s); Journal compilation (c) 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Download InfoTo download: If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to
