THE ROLE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN MANAGING EU STRUCTURAL FUNDS FOR ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The EU provides financial support to promote economic development, but the results of development policies are affected by different of actors, among which public administration is particularly important. The goal of this paper is to investigate both the role of local authorities in the management of European structural funds intended for entrepreneurial development, and the role of other users of these funds. Applying the GLS method on a sample composed by the 116 Italian provincial capitals and considering the period 2014-2017 (n. 464 observations), our findings show that local governments produced higher positive impact, than other actors, in managing EU structural funds for local entrepreneurial development. Finally, we suggest policy making and managerial implications arising from the research findings.

Keywords

• public management
• local government