EU STRUCTURAL FUNDS IN IRELAND A Mid-Term Evaluation of the CSF 1994-99. THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE, DUBLIN, 1997

Honohan, Patrick (1997) EU STRUCTURAL FUNDS IN IRELAND A Mid-Term Evaluation of the CSF 1994-99. THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE, DUBLIN, 1997. [Policy Paper]

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Abstract

This overall evaluation report on the Community Support Framework (CSF) 1994-99 is designed to contribute to the process of improving and refining the spending under the framework for the remainder of the period to the end of the century. It also looks forward to the period beyond: now is the time to begin phasing out certain initiatives, and also to make advance preparations for spending that cannot be accomplished in the remaining three years, but would be desirable thereafter. The report has been prepared in response to terms of reference provided by the Department of Finance. As was envisaged, much of our work has been based on the nine mid-term evaluations (MTE) of individual Operational Programmes (OPs) and the Regional MTE, which became available to us at various dates between January and mid-March, 1997. The report was finalised in April 1997 and considered by the CSF Monitoring Committee on 6 May 1997, since when only minor editorial amendments have been made. The report is organised in four parts as follows. Part 1 presents the philosophy of the CSF, outlines the spending magnitudes and discusses the overall context in which the spending is taking place. It provides a macroeconomic evaluation of the spending, measuring its contribution to output, employment and unemployment. The broad performance is evaluated relative to the four main priorities of the CSF. Part 2 turns to the microeconomic issues, beginning with the evaluation methodology adopted, highlighting the various unintended side-effects which can mar public spending, surveying the major results of the individual MTEs, and finally making concrete recommendations about shifting spending between different measures. Part 3 is concerned with the questions of monitoring, evaluation and control, essential to obtaining good performance. The complementarity of the CSF with Community policies, notably on the environment, on equal treatment for women and other target groups, and the Common Agricultural and Fisheries Policies, is also assessed. Part 4 contains three annexes, one dealing with cross-programme environmental issues, the second presenting the results of a new micro-econometric analysis of the returns on investment to education and the third including tabular.

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