This report is concerned with analysing, for eight EU Member States with lagging regions, the main structural reforms carried out over the past five to ten years, essentially those which are relevant for the European Structural and Investment Funds. Furthermore it provides an overview of the...

This paper aims to shed light on the evolution of regional disparities with respect to economic activity, productivity and employment across the European Union. While the "multiple Speeds of Europe" are a buzzword often quoted to underpin different political strategies and visions, they are...

In many countries fairly large and persistent regional disparities can be observed for a variety of economic indicators. Since these disparities can not be reduced to one single dimension, a classification system is needed to give a parsimonious overview. The article presents a system which is...

Die regionale Entwicklung in Deutschland wird in Wissenschaft und Öffentlichkeit viel diskutiert, zumeist liegt der Fokus aber auf den Regionen, die aufgrund ihrer Entwicklung als Handlungsregionen charakterisiert werden können. Der Fokus dieser Studie wird stattdessen auf die...

Schnell wachsende Unternehmen schaffen in großem Umfang neue Arbeitsplätze und sind ein wichtiger regionaler Treiber von Wirtschafts- und Produktivitätswachstum. Dieser Bericht untersucht erstmalig, wie die Regulierungsdichte eines Landes und die Qualität der regionalen Verwaltungen, die...

High growth firms (HGFs) are important for job creation and considered to be precursors of economic growth. We investigate how product- and labor-market regulations, as well as the quality of regional governments that implement these regulations, affect HGF development across European regions....

High growth firms (HGFs) are important for job creation and considered to be precursors of economic growth. We investigate how product- and labor-market regulations, as well as the quality of regional governments that implement these regulations, affect HGF development across European regions....

Im Hinblick auf die Analyse wirtschaftlicher Wachstumsfaktoren stellt sich immer wieder die Frage nach regionalen Strukturunterschieden und deren Konsequenzen auf die Wachstumspotenziale einzelner Regionen. Am Beispiel von Sachsen-Anhalt wird dargestellt, wie regionale Standortfaktoren die...

This paper argues that more rigorous evaluations of local economic development policies are feasible. Programs that aid selected small firms can be rigorously evaluated using an experimental approach, without excluding firms from assistance, by randomly assigning some firms to receive more...

The advantages and disadvantages of public sector decentralization are widely discussedin economics and political science. While some authors argue that decentralization leads to an optimal provision of public services and a promotion of economic growth, others emphasize the dangers of...