Regional Economic Development and Policy in the EU

GGPH050U

Course aims

This course examines the nature of inequalities in economic development and wealth across the European Union and analyses the evolution of urban and regional policies that seek to reduce them. The course focuses on two arenas of policy implementation:

1. the urban and regional economic policies that have developed within Britain since 1945

2. the more recent emergence of European policies implemented by the European Commission as part of the Structural Funds within the EU.

Rather than present chronological lists of policies, on this course, we will select particular policies at particular times to demonstrate the evolving conceptual bases of policy intervention.

Course objectives/learning outcomes

On completion of the course you should be able to:

1. General outcomes

• demonstrate an awareness of the variety and complexity of these issues
• show how they are affected by both political and economic forces
• show competence in the basic study skills of essay writing and presenting a verbal argument
• work in and manage a group
• identify key sources of evidence for analysing regional economic change.

2. Intellectual skills

• develop your note-taking skills
• learn to assess information from sources such as film, library and WWW
• evaluate and assess conflicting viewpoints abstract information
• place specific knowledge (e.g. about regional inequalities) into its wider context
• present a written argument.

3. Discipline-specific skills

• information collection from published and Web-based sources
• presentation of geographical evidence of inequality and its evolution.

4. Key skills

• ability to work in groups
• report writing
• verbal presentation

Teaching and learning methods

The course will use a variety of teaching and learning methods, including:

• lectures
• group discussion
• accessing information using the library and the WWW
• basic data collection to test hypotheses
• graphic presentation, in which the act of filtering and abstracting information is important
• writing reports under direction
• writing an essay under direction.

Content

The course is arranged in three modules. Each topic will fit approximately one week within the course but detailed timings may vary a little.

Module A: The Conceptual Foundations of Policy

o 1: Conceptualising inequality

o 2: State and economic intervention

o 3: Alternative rationalisations of state intervention

o 4: Changing policies; changing economic and institutional contexts

Module B: The Practice of Spatial Economic Policy

o 5: British regional policy at its peak

o 6: Current policies in Britain

o 7: The foundation of European regional policies

o 8: ERDF and economic development

o 9: The Cohesion Fund - budgetary transfer mechanism?

o 10: British urban economic policy - state intervention

o 11: British urban economic policy - demand-led planning

o 12: Urban economic policy - city marketing and inter-city competition.

• Module C: Issues in Spatial Economic Policy

o 13: The effectiveness of infrastructural subsidies

o 14: Capital subsidies in economic policy

o 15: The 'level playing field'

o 16: Measuring the effects of intervention

o 17: ‘Top down’ versus ‘Bottom up’ approaches

o 18: The long-term dynamics of regional change

o 19: When is ‘local’ really local – the problems of community based economic policies?

o 20: Self sustaining growth - a myth?

o 21: 'Supply-side’ versus ‘demand-side’ approaches

Reading

There are many texts which cover material relevant to the course. You should buy only those books that you feel comfortable with. Most probably these will be selected from:

• Albrechts, L., F. Moulaert, P. Roberts and E. Swyngedouw (1989) Regional Policy at the Crossroads. London: Jessica Kingsley.
• Atkinson, R. and G. Moon (1993) Urban Policy in Britain. London: Macmillan.
• Dunford, M. and G. Kafkalas (eds) (1992) Cities and Regions in the New Europe. London: Bellhaven.
• Eisenschitz, A. and J. Gough (1993) The Problems and Possibilities of Local Initiatives. London: Macmillan.
• Imrie, R. and H. Thomas (1993) British Urban Policy and the Urban Development Corporations. London: Paul Chapman. New edition out recently.
• Stohr, W.B. (ed.) (1990) Global Challenge and Local Response. London: Mansell.

Assessment

75%: unseen written examination - three questions from nine.

25%: course essay, involving the collection of information that assesses regional change and the role of policy in a region of your own choice within the European Union.