Regional policy and a “Europe of Regions”: A critical assessment

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Abstract
Rhodes R. A. W. (1974) Regional policy and a “Europe of Regions”: A critical assessment, Reg. Studies 8, 105–114. Clarity in the use of the term regionalism is essential in view of the probable importance of the European Community's regional policy and the growing interest in the idea of a “Europe of Regions”. But clarity is not one of the more common features of the literature on regionalism. It tends to disregard, in particular, the relevance of the areal distribution of powers in the country under consideration for a satisfactory definition. After discussing the various uses of the term regionalism I suggest that distinctions need to be drawn between regional administration, regional economic planning, regional government and regional devolution. These distinctions reveal considerable ambiguity in the notion of a “Europe of Regions” and inconsistencies in the objectives of the Community's regional policy—defects which suggest the conclusion that regionalism is becoming a dogma, put forward to reform all problems irrespective of whether it is appropriate.