Regional Authority, Transnational Lobbying and the Allocation of Structural Funds in the European Union

The allocation of European Union (EU) structural funds is subject to fierce regional lobbying. This article examines the extent to which regions with greater political authority are better able to lobby for funds than their weaker counterparts. Existing research acknowledging the importance of regio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of common market studies Vol. 51; no. 5; pp. 815 - 831
Main Author Chalmers, Adam William
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.09.2013
Wiley-Blackwell
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ISSN0021-9886
1468-5965
DOI10.1111/jcms.12038

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Summary:The allocation of European Union (EU) structural funds is subject to fierce regional lobbying. This article examines the extent to which regions with greater political authority are better able to lobby for funds than their weaker counterparts. Existing research acknowledging the importance of regional authority in these processes has used inadequate indicators. This analysis, drawing on the Regional Authority Index, is the first to use regional‐level data disaggregating between regional authority as self‐rule and shared‐rule. It also uses data that measure the lobbying capacity of regions' Brussels‐based lobbying offices. Controlling for a battery of competing and control variables, Tobit regression analyses of 181 regions receiving funds in the 2007–13 period suggest that regional authority expressed as shared‐rule, but not self‐rule, has a significant impact on the allocation of structural funds in the EU.
Bibliography:I would like to thank the anonymous reviewers and numerous colleagues who provided insightful comments on earlier versions of this article (specifically those at the 2012 Netherlands Institute of Government Annual Work Conference in Leuven). I would like to extend special thanks to Juliet Johnson for her helpful guidance in the very early stages of this project.
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Appendix S1: Convergence and Competitive & Employment Funding by Region, 2007-2013 (funds in euro-millions)
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ISSN:0021-9886
1468-5965
DOI:10.1111/jcms.12038