This working paper was commissioned by the World Bank under the FAO/World Bank Cooperation Programme. It was written as a background research paper for the 2009 edition of the World Development Report. The paper elaborates on the history and theoretical background of the European Union’s rural and regional policies. In particular, it examines how the endogenous growth theory has influenced these policies. The paper also introduces a series of lessons learned from the EU's endogenous approach to regional and rural development that could possibly be of interest and use to development agencies.
Jorge Núñez Ferrer is a Associate Research Fellow at CEPS. The report can also be downloaded from the website of the FAO at http://www.fao.org/docrep/011/aj280e/aj280e00.htm
