Study supporting the impact assessment of the future European Social Fund proposal : achieving structural change : conditions for success in the areas of ESF intervention : executive summary

This study aims to contribute to the knowledge base on causal mechanisms and necessary conditions for successful structural change in the broad areas of ESF+ intervention. It provides quantitative and qualitative analysis of structural reforms carried out in EU Member States in 2014-2022, exploring the factors behind successful and unsuccessful implementation of reforms as well as the role of ESF+ and other EU instruments in supporting reforms. Structural reforms refer to significant changes in economic and political policies, aimed at enhancing a country's growth and competitiveness, social fairness, and inclusion. Traditional models assume reforms follow a linear, evidence-based sequence from problem identification to evaluation. However, reforms often deviate from this path due to factors like bounded rationality, political contention, resistance from interest groups, bureaucratic inertia, and electoral cycles, among other factors. These complexities pose challenges in identifying reforms (as opposed to minimum improvements), assessing their relative success, and conducting comparative analysis.