Study on the implementation of EU Cohesion Policy in the UK and lessons for UK government's Levelling Up policy

近年来，理解为什么空间和社会差距在当代经济中越来越大已经成为几个学科的重要主题。需要更多的学术研究来帮助阐明正在发挥作用的社会经济、体制和政策进程，以便制定创新的方法来解决不同地区日益扩大的差距。在此背景下，欧盟的凝聚力政策（CP）具有相当大的学术和政策意义。欧盟计划最初是在20世纪70年代后期发展起来的，目的是帮助欠发达地区和成员国，随着时间的推移，它不断发展，目前侧重于“基于地点的”干预措施，试图解决欧洲各地日益扩大的社会和空间差距。英国自成立以来一直是欧盟优惠政策的受惠国，在地区经济发展中发挥了重要作用。从1975年到2020年，英国从布鲁塞尔获得了大约660亿英镑，加上额外的国内“比赛资金”，总计超过1000亿英镑。这笔资金主要用于支持英国最贫困的城市和地区，以促进各地的就业、（小型）企业和增长。考虑到英国在2021年离开欧盟，它将不再参与欧盟计划，2023年后将停止资助。在英国脱欧和新冠肺炎大流行之前，英国的空间和社会不平等已经比其他“富裕”国家更严重，但“差距”现在正在扩大。作为回应，英国政府（HMG）的政策促进了“基于地方”的干预措施，以提高整个国家的生产力和增长水平，特别是解决落后地区（不仅是）英格兰北部和权力下放国家的差距。最近，HMG发布了《升级白皮书》，概述了解决英国经济发展的国内方法，取代了欧盟的资助。该项目与HMG的升级、住房和社区部（DLUHC）合作，为研究战略性国家政策问题提供了一个独特而及时的机会。其目的是探索几十年来欧盟CP在英国实施的经验教训，以便为正在进行的与升级相关的学术和政策辩论提供信息。

In recent years, understanding why spatial and social disparities are increasing in contemporary economies has become an important theme in several academic disciplines. More academic research is required to help shed light on the socio-economic, institutional and policy processes at play in order to develop innovative ways of tackling such widening disparities, in different places. In this context, the European Union's (EU) Cohesion Policy (CP), is of considerable academic and policy interest. Initially developed in the late 1970s to help less developed regions and Member States, EU CP has evolved over time and currently focuses on 'place-based' interventions to try to tackle increasing social and spatial disparities across Europe. From its inception, the UK has been a recipient of EU CP and it has played a key role in regional economic development ever since. Between 1975 and 2020, the UK received around £66bn from Brussels, which amounted to over £100bn with additional domestic 'match funding'. This funding was targeted mainly at supporting the UK's poorest cities and regions to boost jobs, (small) firms and growth, in different places. Given that the UK left the EU in 2021, it no longer participates in EU CP and funding will cease after 2023. Prior to Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic, the spatial and social inequalities in the UK were already greater than in other 'rich' countries but the 'gap' is now widening. In response, UK government (HMG) policy promotes 'place-based' interventions to level up productivity and growth in the whole country, particularly tackling disparities in lagging behind places (not only) in northern England and the devolved nations. Recently, HMG published its Levelling Up White Paper which outlines domestic approaches to tackling economic development across the UK, replacing EU funding.This project, joint with HMG's Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC), provides a unique and timely opportunity to research a strategic national policy issue. The aim is to explore the lessons from several decades of EU CP implementation in the UK in order to inform ongoing academic and policy debates related to levelling up.