Administrative capacity or quality of political governance? EU Cohesion Policy in the new Europe, 2007–13

Surubaru, Neculai-Cristian

Abstract

Administrative capacity or quality of political governance? EU Cohesion Policy in the new Europe, 2007–13. Regional Studies. The enlargement towards Central and Eastern Europe offers new opportunities to examine the effectiveness of the European Union’s Cohesion Policy. This paper examines the management and implementation of Structural Funds in Bulgaria and Romania, two outlier but diverging cases, during 2007–13. Drawing on original empirical data, it argues that their variation in capacity and performance can be understood by examining how political factors influenced administrative capacity developments and the processes surrounding the absorption of funds. Taking stock of domestic political governance is essential as to explain the ability of new member states to manage European Union regional and Cohesion Policy.

Citation

Surubaru, N. (2017). Administrative capacity or quality of political governance? EU Cohesion Policy in the new Europe, 2007–13. Regional Studies, 51(6), 844-856. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2016.1246798

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 21, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Dec 12, 2016
• Publication Date: Jun 3, 2017
• Deposit Date: Feb 16, 2023
• Journal: Regional Studies
• Print ISSN: 0034-3404
• Electronic ISSN: 1360-0591
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 51
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 844-856
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2016.1246798
• Keywords: administrative capacity, quality of governance, European Union Cohesion Policy, Structural Funds, Bulgaria, Romania