A Theory of EU Spending and Regional Well-Being

This chapter develops the theoretical argument of this study about the conditions under which EU spending will contribute to enhancing well-being in the EU. The chapter explicates the concept of regional well-being put forward in this study. Regional well-being is conceptualized as distributive justice, which strengthens people’s capabilities to achieve the good things for which human beings strive. The bulk of the chapter is dedicated to a discussion of the mechanisms EU social investments use to enhance regional well-being, drawing from previous insights on distributive justice, welfare economics and welfare state research. Taken together, the chapter sets out an intricate argument about the conditions that would increase the likelihood of EU spending effects on regional well-being.