Abstract
After nearly 20 years without any significant changes, the indicators of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) have undergone a major overhaul in the current 2014–2020 programming period. This paper reviews the characteristics of the ERDF indicator system evolution and contextualises the changes. Based on applying a logic model and practical examples, we argue that in spite of the good justification for changes, the new ERDF intervention logic and indicator system did not solve some of the well-known problems and brought new challenges for the ERDF-supported programmes. The main challenges that still remain to be solved are: differing indicator concepts between the European Union funds; inconsistency of the common output indicators; difficulties in establishing a programme’s contribution to results; persistent problems in determining the target values for results; and broad result indicators with indirect link to interventions.
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Notes
For example, quantitative and qualitative indicators are used for the EU-financed LIFE programme—LIFE multiannual work programme for 2014–2017, available at: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/about/documents/mawp_annex.pdf (accessed in April 2016).
The Commission highly recommends the use of common indicators and in many cases they are obligatory.
Such indicators are, e.g. ‘employment rate’ and ‘number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion’. The indicators are presented in the EU 2020 Strategy.
For example, the PAs of: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, and the Netherlands. See the Partnership agreements, which are available at: http://ec.europa.eu/contracts_grants/agreements/index_en.htm.
To some extent this was the case in the guidance for the 2000–2006 programming period, see European Commission (2000) The New Programming period 2000–2006: methodological working papers. Working paper 3. Indicators for Monitoring and Evaluation: An indicative methodology.
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Nigohosyan, D., Vutsova, A. The 2014–2020 European Regional Development Fund Indicators: The Incomplete Evolution. Soc Indic Res 137, 559–577 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-017-1610-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-017-1610-8