Counterfactual Impact Evaluation of Cohesion Policy 2014-2020 – Impact on Enterprises

The project analyses the impact of EU cohesion policy in the period 2014-2020 on the business sector. The aim is to use a counterfactual impact analysis to determine how EU structural funds have influenced business creation. The main indicator is net enterprise growth, complemented by analyses of enterprise births, deaths, and survival rates. Methodologically, the study is based on a regression discontinuity design (RDD), which exploits differences in funding intensity at certain GDP thresholds. The results should provide well-founded insights into the effectiveness of cohesion policy in the business domain, and contribute to the improvement of future funding strategies.