Territorial cohesion: discussing the mismatch between conceptual definitions and the understanding of local and intra-regional public decision-makers

Abstract

The European Union’s Cohesion Policy aims at strengthening economic, social and territorial cohesion to correct imbalances between countries and regions. However, European Union policy was expressed unevenly, and asymmetries grew at different scales. Therefore, it has raised discussions on territorial cohesion, which looks much different on the ground than in its theoretical design. This paper confronts this conceptual rationale with the perceptions of political decision-makers of the Centro Region in Portugal. Findings point out that public decision-makers in this region understand territorial cohesion more due to good public policies rather than a process itself, demonstrating evident deficits of joint regional action and some overvaluation of local specific problems and competition. Conclusions underline that territorial cohesion’s political agenda and policy design remained too focused on territorial asymmetries within the region. A lack of a strategic regional vision for territorial development is translated into implementing differentiated projects, with no vertical and horizontal coordination, and instead passively responding to European funding requirements. Nevertheless, policymakers commonly accepted that territorial cohesion should be measured considering five main conceptual dimensions, although not highlighting the need to identify and collect indicators to assess it.