This paper focuses on ihe rationale behind fiscal solidarity. It is argued that, while at the national level the main aim of regional policies is to downsize the cost of labor market policies, the motivation behind EU transfers is less straightforward. Here, regional assistance should rather be...

The educational attainment of the Dutch labour force is lower than in neighbouring countries. Despite this worrying picture, and the fact that financial resources devoted to education are relatively small, it is argued that increasing public expenditure is not the obvious answer. As the social...