Introduction
Cohesion Policy is an important instrument of the European Union organization that aims to bring more development to countries within the region. Greece is one of the beneficiaries of the Policy and many studies have been conducted to explore the effectiveness of the cohesion policy within the country and particularly Crete. Studies have been conducted that shows impact, objectives, and implementation of the cohesion policy. Literature provides the area that has not been studied with the possibility of understanding the policy. The following paper is literature review on the cohesion policy and its effectiveness region of Greece particularly Crete.
What people have said about the issues that are relevant to your research
There are many different studies that have been conducted to understand more about the Cohesion policy. Firstly, many studies have been conducted to explain the cohesion policy within the European fraternity. A study by European Commission (2017), explains the objectives of the cohesion policy and the level of attainment of these objectives within the region. Similarly, Andreou (2009) explains the region of Greece (Crete) as one of the areas that have attracted more focus for exploring the effectiveness of the cohesion policy among the European countries. Secondly, some literature also provides the development of instruments that enable the proper implementation of cohesion policy within the Greece region. European Commission (2014) gives the reasons for developing policy instruments that form part of the implementation of the cohesion policy within the region. In contrast, European Commission Directorate (2008) explains the core difficulties that have been encountered during effective development and implementation of policy instruments of cohesion policy. Thirdly, literature also shows the impact of the cohesion policy within the region of Crete that is relevant for understanding the dynamics of the policy (Fratesi & Perucca 2014). According to Fratesi (2016), cohesion policy effectiveness can be analyzed based on the impact on Greek structures, policies, and politics.
What they have said about each other’s work
Analysis of the literature on the cohesion policy and its effectiveness show clear discussion between various authors on other researchers. Dall’Erba and Fang (2015), show the importance of other studies that have been conducted to understand the impact of cohesion policy. For instance, Gagliardi & Percoco (2016) gives the analysis of the study conducted on the impact of cohesion policy on Crete and the recommendation that are cited in the study. In addition, European Commission (2009) explains the impact of implementing the recommended areas within the literature as this will shed more light on the weaknesses of the policy within the country.
How what they have said is relevant to your research
Areas that have been studied provide the knowledge gap on the key study areas that need more research. Understanding what various studies have said on the effectiveness of the policy within the country is important for identification of least researched areas that need more understanding (Trusner 2010). In addition, the knowledge gap that exists in the literature forms the core area of interest for the research. A good research identifies what the literature says on the cohesion policy in order to improve the theoretical knowledge on the phenomenon. What the literature says about the effectiveness of the cohesion policy is relevant for the analysis of what is not known during the research (Management Authority of Crete Region 2016).
What you think about what they have said
I think what the literature says about the cohesion policy and its effectiveness in Greece is important for the theoretical framework in the research. The analysis of the literature gives more understanding of the policy that helps identification of the areas that need improvement. In addition, I think what other researchers have studied in important for future knowledge on the policy as this sets the foundation for future research. For instance, a recommendation that has been cited in literature identifies areas that will be studied in future research. I think what literature says is also important for finding knowledge gap that forms the main theme in the study.
What they have not said/done
Most of the literature does not explain the negative impacts of the cohesion policy on the country and the challenges faced by adoption and implementation of the policy within the country (Percoco 2016). Many studies on cohesion policy and its effectiveness speak about the positive impact of the policy but silent on the negatives that have been researched as this will also show the effectiveness of the policy within the country. In addition, the impact of the policy or its effectiveness has been conducted yet the challenge that is realized upon the implementation of this policy in the country and particularly in the region of Crete. This implies that evaluation of the effectiveness of the Cohesion policy has failed to evaluate the impact of the possible negative effects of the policy on the European countries (Polverari 2013).
What the value of your research is
My research seeks to bring into more understanding the expected negative impact of the cohesion policy as implemented in Greece and particularly Crete. The negative impacts of the policy will add to the current knowledge of the cohesion policy the is important for future research or improvement. This impales that the output of the research will provide the areas that are key for effective implementation of the policy in the country or any other place. In addition, the focus of the research is to explore the effectiveness of the policy and this will remain meaningful through an understanding of the negatives of the policy in the region. This help in improving the policy instruments that aid in the implementation of the cohesion policy within the country.
Conclusion
In conclusion, cohesion policy and its effectiveness have been researched through various studies. The knowledge gap exists on the negative impact of the policy in the region of Greece particularly Crete. Studies are important as most studies give the theoretical or philosophical basis for research in the cohesion policy that can be explored for future improving the effectiveness of the policy. Researching the negative implication of cohesion policy in Greece will add more knowledge and understanding on the effectiveness of the cohesion policy.
References
Andreou, G. (2009) The domestic effects of EU cohesion policy in Greece: islands of Europeanization in a sea of traditional practices. Journal Southeast European and Black Sea Studies, vol. 10 issue 1 pp 13-27. https://doi.org/10.1080/14683851003606747
Dall’Erba, S., & Fang, F. (2015) Meta-analysis of the impact of European Union Structural Funds on regional growth. Regional Studies. doi: 10.1080/00343404.2015.1100285
European Commission Directorate-General for Regional Policy (2008) Working for the regions (pdf). Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. Available at https://bookshop.europa.eu/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/WFS/EU-Bookshop-Site/en_GB/-/EUR/ViewPDFFile-OpenPDFFile?FileName=KN7606538ENC_002.pdf&SKU=KN7606538ENC_PDF [accessed on June 4, 2018]
European Commission, (2014) Cohesion Policy and Greece, available at https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/information/cohesion-policy-achievement-and-future-investment/factsheet/greece_en.pdf [accessed on June 4, 2018]
European Commission (2017) Panorama: Cohesion Policy looks to the future. Available at https://www.aragon.es/estaticos/GobiernoAragon/Departamentos/PresidenciaJusticia/Areas/PJ_04_Informacion_de_la%20Union_europea/01_Europe_Direct_Aragon/Publicaciones%20de%20la%20Union%20Europea/panorama-inforegio_61_en.pdf [accessed on June 4, 2018]
European Commission, (2009) European Regional Development Fund. Available at:
https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/funds/feder/index_en.htm
Fratesi, U. (2016) Impact assessment of EU Cohesion Policy: Theoretical and empirical issues. In S. Piattoni, & L. Polverari (Eds.), Handbook on Cohesion Policy in the EU (pp. 443–460). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Fratesi, U., & Perucca, G. (2014) Territorial capital and the effectiveness of cohesion policies: An assessment for CEE regions. Investigaciones Regionales, 29(August), 165–191.
Gagliardi, L., & Percoco, M. (2016) The impact of European Cohesion Policy in urban and rural regions. Regional Studies. doi: 10.1080/00343404.2016.1179384
Management Authority of Crete Region (2016) Smart Specialization Strategy of the Region of Crete. Available at https://www.pepkritis.gr/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/RIS-Crete-Translation-ENG.pdf [accessed on June 4, 2018]
Percoco, M. (2016) Impact of European Cohesion Policy on regional growth: Does local economic structure matter? Regional Studies. doi: 10.1080/00343404.2016.1213382
Polverari, L. (2013) Policy rhetoric versus political reality: Has the Italian state given up on the Mezzogiorno? Regional and Federal Studies, vol.23, no.5, pp 571–590. doi: 10.1080/13597566.2013.801842
Trusner A. (2010) Constructing Regional Identity: Crete and the European Union. University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA. Available at https://bsps.org.uk/europeanInstitute/research/hellenicObservatory/pdf/4th_%20Symposium/PAPERS_PPS/NATIONAL_REGIONAL_IDENTITY/TRUSNER.pdf [accessed on June 4, 2018]
