More than one third of the European Union's total budget is spent on socalled Cohesion Policy via the structural funds. Its main purpose is to promote the development of the EU and to support convergence between the levels of development of the various European regions. Investigating the impact...

This book's thirteen contributions bring together the results of recent research on determinants of regional specialization, growth, and convergence in the context of European integration. They offer fresh theoretical and empirical evidence on patterns of regional production structures,...

Einleitung -- Alexander Rüstow und die Vitalpolitik -- Rüstow als Vertreter des Ordoliberalismus und des "soziologischen Liberalismus" -- Die Vitalpolitik -- Relevante Einflüsse auf Rüstow -- "Liberaler Interventionismus" -- Vitalpolitik als Ansatz der Befähigung -- Jenseits...