This paper sets out to examine the impact of the quality of local and regional governments on the returns of investment, focusing on the returns of EU structural and cohesion funds. Despite the widespread belief that the quality of government affects the returns of public investments, whether...

1 Introduction -- 2 Theoretical Frameworks: A Spatial Perspective on Innovation and the Genesis of Regional Growth -- 3 Geographical Accessibility and Human Capital Accumulation -- 4 The Role of Underlying Socio-Economic Conditions -- 5 Knowledge Flows and Their Spatial Extent -- 6 Innovation in...