Cohesion policy impact on poverty and social inclusion in EU Member States at regional level
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21601262 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Maciej Smętkowski (0000-0002-3978-192X, University of Warsaw, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 867-886 |
| Publication date | 2026-04-03 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | European Planning Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0965-4313 • E-ISSN: 1469-5944 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/09654313.2025.2601715 |
| OpenAlex | W7116671946 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 25 |
Cohesion Policy has been a fundamental pillar of European Union integration, aimed at reducing disparities among Member States and promoting social and economic cohesion. This paper analyses the relationship between Cohesion Policy and its impact on poverty and social inclusion within EU Member States, focusing on regional-level dynamics. Drawing on a review of the literature, it highlights the multifaceted ways in which Cohesion Policy interventions shape socio-economic deprivation, considering the value and structure of fund allocation, types of regions and the role of market and post-market factors. The results indicate a small but significant contribution of Cohesion Policy in the reduction of poverty and social exclusion through the general improvement of the regional situation rather than specific intervention in the field of social policies. However, the impact of Cohesion Policy and its instruments proved to be not significant in improving the situation at regional labour markets, which too much great extent, are dependent on regional economic growth and national social policies. This corroborates the results of some other recent research and supports the changes in the orientation of Cohesion Policy towards preventing social and material exclusion
European union · Member states · Pillar · Poverty · Regional Policy · Social exclusion · Regional Development and Policy · Regional resilience and development · Rural development and sustainability
Cumulative Causation, Endogenous Growth, and Regional Development
Capital in the Twenty-First Century
Education and Income Inequality in the Regions of the European Union
Redistribution, Inequality, and Growth
The response of regional well-being to place-based policy interventions
Combining the quantitative and qualitative approaches to poverty measurement and analysis
On the Positive Correlation between Income Inequality and Unemployment
Inequality Reexamined
Selective migration of population in functional urban regions of Slovakia
The heterogeneous effect of European Union Cohesion Policy on regional well-being
Trends in Subjective Income Poverty Rates in the European Union
Regional Governance Matters
Relationship between income inequality and residential segregation of socioeconomic groups
Meta-analysis of the impact of European Union Structural Funds on regional growth
One or many Cohesion Policies of the European Union? On the differential economic impacts of Cohesion Policy across member states
The impact of European Cohesion Policy in different contexts
| Highly cited | No |
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