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COHESIFY

The Impact of Cohesion Policy on EU Identification

Roberta CAPELLO (docente coordinatore), Roberto CAMAGNI, Andrea CARAGLIU, Giovanni PERUCCA, Camilla LENZI

COHESIFY aimed to assess the impact of EU Cohesion policy on citizens’ perceptions of and identification with the European Union. The project also investigated how effectively the results of Cohesion policy programmes and projects are communicated to the citizens. The main research questions focused on: 1. how European identity and perceptions of the EU and Cohesion policy vary at national, regional and local levels; 2. the impact of Cohesion policy on citizens’ perceptions of the policy and identification with the EU; 3. whether and how Cohesion policy communication strategies affect perception and identification; 4. what is needed to make Cohesion policy more effective in terms of people’s perceptions of the policy and the EU more generally. The project applied an innovative methodological approach by combining case studies with desk research, stakeholder interviews, online surveys and other research tools.

DABC role

The DABC research unit developed a conceptual model for the understanding of the mechanisms through which EU regional policy influences the reinforcement of European identity. This empirical analysis shows that the impact of EU regional policies on European identity is mediated by some regional characteristics, such as generalized trust.

Partners

University of Strathclyde (coordinator), Uniwersytet Warszawski, Technologiko Panepistimio Kyprou, Kozep-Europai Egyetem, Technische Universiteit Delft, The Provost, Fellows, Foundation Scholars & the other Members of Board, of the College of the Holy & Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth Near Dublin, Universitaet Mannheim, Regio Plus Consulting SL, Old-Continent Sprl