The geographical impact of the european INTERREG programme on Arctic territorial development: case studies analyzed through the Lens of Convention Theory
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3989/estgeogr.2025.1222Keywords:
Transnational Cooperation, International Relations, Orders of Worth, Cohesion Policy, Territorial Development, European UnionAbstract
For almost fifty years, the European Union has been seeking to alleviate territorial socio-economic disparities through regional, rural and local development policies. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of these policies, it is necessary to study their impact on the ground. This paper contributes to this line of research through the analysis of three INTERREG projects implemented during the 2014-2020 period in the Arctic territory, a unique area marked by low population density and the direct impacts of climate change. To this end, the theoretical framework of justification orders proposed by Luc Boltanski and Laurent Thévenot in 1991 has been applied, and a qualitative methodology based on questionnaires and interviews with the people involved in the development of the selected projects, as well as field visits, have been applied. The results show that the lack of an Arctic perspective on the design and implementation of the INTERREG programme analysed limits the positive impacts of these projects and, above all, limits them for a short period of time. In conclusion, it is proposed that INTERREG programmes more appropriate to the Arctic context should be designed and implemented in order to avoid these dysfunctions and enhance the development of this region, which is so affected by globalisation and global warming.
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