Center for European Studies

Assessing the Impact of EU Regional Development Fund Spending on Support for the EU

CES Lunchtime Symposium Speaker Series

Michael Webb, Ph.D. Candidate, UF Political Science
Moderator: Marcel Lewandowsky, DAAD Visiting Assistant Professors, UF CES

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Though the European Union (EU) now operates under the umbrella of a single market, there is still great variation in the levels of development and the economic characteristics of its various regions. Some of these regions are further behind than others and are consequently eligible for investments from the EU’s regional development fund. These targeted investments are meant to help lagging regions catch up to the rest of the EU. At the same time, these lagging regions are also frequently home to some of the highest levels of Euroscepticism. In my talk, I will share my ongoing analysis of how EU efforts to foster economic development regionally affect support for the EU at the individual level.