Does the Cohesion Policy Have the Same Influence on Growth Everywhere? A Geographically Weighted Regression Approach in Central and Eastern Europe

Abstract

The latest successive enlargements to Central and Eastern European countries and their differentiated convergence raise the question of the effectiveness of the European structural funds that have been greatly enjoyed by such countries. The literature on this question is nevertheless not unanimous. I therefore offer an analysis of the cohesion policy and its role in regional growth specifically in Central and Eastern Europe, using a method developed in spatial analysis, namely, GWR (geographically weighted regression) at the NUTS 3 level. My findings reveal the existence of a multipolar convergence. The differentiated spatial variations of the influence of European funds on regional economic growth call for reorientation of the cohesion policy, especially in favor of a more territorialized policy.