An Empirical Evaluation of EU and National Structural Policies in Remote Rural Areas: The Case of Evrytania

This paper presents an empirical investigation into the effects of European Union structural policy funding in the poor, remote, rural area of Evrytania in Greece. First, the socio-economic profile of the area is presented, followed by a detailed description of structural policy intervention in the study area during 1989-93 period (first Community Support Framework). Subsequently, a regional Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) is used to portray the structural characteristics of the local economy, followed by the estimation of the economic impacts of policy expenditures during the first period of structural funding after the 1988 reforms. Results indicate that the local economy is characterised by a low level of development, lack of integration and generally traditional structures. Moreover, the economic impacts of structural policy expenditure were found to be very significant, especially in terms of employment and firm income generation, representing thus, a valuable effort for the promotion of the area's development.