New publication on the effects of EU cohesion policy on local economic activity

New publication on the effects of EU cohesion policy on local economic activity

October 14, 2023

New publication on the effects of EU cohesion policy on local economic activity using satellite data

 

Researchers from the Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO) in Vienna, the ifo Institute in Munich, the University of Regensburg, the Earth Observation Center (EOC) of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Oberpfaffenhofen, and our Earth Observation Research Cluster of the University of Würzburg teamed up for a study on analyzing small-scale effects of the EU cohesion policy using satellite data. The paper titled “EU cohesion policy on the ground: Analyzing small-scale effects using

satellite data” was just published in the journal Regional Science and Urban Economics by Julia Bachtrögler-Unger, Mathias Dolls, Carla Krolage, Paul Schüle, Hannes Taubenböck and Matthias Weigand. This study has been funded by the Bertelsmann Foundation.

 

Here is the abstract: We present a novel approach to analyze the effects of EU cohesion policy on local economic activity. For all municipalities in the border area of the Czech Republic, Germany, and Poland, we collect project-level data on EU funding in the period between 2007 and 2013. Using night light emission data as a proxy for economic development, we show that receiving a higher amount of EU funding is associated with increased economic activity at the municipal level. Our paper demonstrates that remote sensing data can provide an effective way to model local economic development also in Europe, where comprehensive cross-border data are not available at such a spatially granular level.

 

Here is the link to the full paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166046223000893

 

This study is another building block in the long-standing cooperation between DLR and the ifo Institute – in an attempt to link spatial data and remote sensing with economic developments.

Here are links to previous studies in this domain:  

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0143622823001893

https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/6/2/55

https://medium.com/ecajournal/europe-seen-from-the-stars-evaluating-eu-cohesion-funding-using-satellite-data-4bae259595d1

www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de/repair-prepare-en

 

you may also like:

field work in Botswana

field work in Botswana

EORC PhD student Lilly Schell, together with Dr. Insa Otte, recently conducted fieldwork in Botswana. They investigated the application of Earth Observation for  invasive plant species mapping and their impact on the ecosystem. Working closely with local experts, the...

Exploring the Interdisciplinary Potential of Arctic Research

Exploring the Interdisciplinary Potential of Arctic Research

The Arctic region, with its unique ecosystems and rapidly changing climate, presents a wealth of opportunities for interdisciplinary research.  Our colleague Prof. Marco Schmidt from the informatics department joined us in our recent field campaign. His research...

Exploring the Exposome: An Invited Talk at the DGG Convention

Exploring the Exposome: An Invited Talk at the DGG Convention

At the annual convention of the German Society for Vascular Surgery and Vascular Medicine (DGG) in Berlin, John Friesen from the EORC presented "Umweltfaktoren und kardiovaskuläre Gesundheit: Das Exposom in der modernen Gefäßmedizin" (Environmental Factors...

Arctic Ecology Research: Insights from the Recent Workshop

Arctic Ecology Research: Insights from the Recent Workshop

Our EORC staff members, Dr. Mirjana Bevanda and Jakob Schwalb-Willmann are currently participating in a workshop focused on Arctic ecology, organised by Prof. Larissa Beumer (UNIS). This workshop brought together international researchers dedicated to exploring the...