Mission Accomplished? An Evaluation of the Impact of EFTA's Industrial Development Fund on Portugal

TY - JOUR

T1 - Mission Accomplished? An Evaluation of the Impact of EFTA's Industrial Development Fund on Portugal

AU - Eaton, Martin

N1 - Reference text: Andresen-Leitão, N. (2004), ‘O Convidado Inesperado: Portugal e a Fundacão da EFTA, 1956–1960’, Análise Social, XXXIX: 171, pp. 285–312. Barreto, A. (2003), ‘Social change in Portugal: 1960–2000’, in A.C. Pinto (ed.), Contemporary Portugal: Politics, Society and Culture, Boulder: Social Science Monographs. Brito, J.M.B. de (1998), ‘The Portuguese economy: From salazarism to the European community’, in A.C. Pinto (ed.), Modern Portugal, Palo Alto: SPOSS. Commission of European Communities (2003), Employment in Europe 2003: Recent Trends and Prospects, Luxembourg: Directorate General for Employment and Social Affairs. Corkill, D. (1997), ‘Interpreting Cavaquismo: The Cavaco Silva Decade in Portugal, 1985–1995’, International Journal of Iberian Studies, 10: 2, pp. 80–88. Corkill, D. (1999), The Development of the Portuguese Economy: A Case of Europeanisation, London: Routledge. Dicken, P. (2003), Global Shift: Reshaping the Global Economic Map in the 21st Century, London: SAGE. Eaton, M.D. (1994), ‘Regional development funding in Portugal’, Journal of the Association for Contemporary Iberian Studies, 7: 2, pp. 36–46. Economist Intelligence Unit (2004), Country Profile 2004 Portugal, London: EIU. European Free Trade Association (1977–2002), Annual Reports, One to Twenty Five, Geneva: EFTA. EFTA (1997), The EFTA Industrial Development Fund for Portugal: Twentieth Annual Report, Geneva: EFTA. EFTA (1998), The EFTA Industrial Development Fund for Portugal: Twenty-First Annual Report, Geneva: EFTA. EFTA (2000), EFTA 1960–2000, Geneva: EFTA. EFTA (2002), The EFTA Industrial Development Fund for Portugal: Twenty-Fifth Annual Report, Geneva: EFTA. Eurostat (2003), ‘Liquidation of the EFTA Industrial Development Fund for Portugal’, Euro-Indicateurs Communiqué de Presse, Stat/3/97, 21 August. Gonçalves, D.O. and Oliveira, F.R. de (2002), EFTA Fund 1976-2001, Lisboa: Banco BPI. Instituto Nacional de Estatística (2003), ‘Pesquisa por Unidade Territorial por NUTS e Concelhos/Distritos e Ilhas’, www.ine.pt/prodserv/pesqut/quadro3.asp. Accessed 6th June 2005. Krayenbühl, T.E. (2002), ‘The early days of the EFTA Industrial Development Fund for Portugal’, in D.O. Gonçalves and F.R. de Oliveira (ed.), EFTA Fund 1976–2001, Lisboa: Banco BPI. Lains, P. (2003), ‘The Portuguese economy in the twentieth century: Growth and structural change’, in A.C. Pinto (ed.), Contemporary Portugal: Politics, Society and Culture, Boulder: SSM. Lança, P. (1997), ‘The rise and fall of the PSD’, International Journal of Iberian Studies, 10: 2, pp. 89–97. McLean, R. (2005), ‘Lessons of Spain and Portugal’, International Herald Tribune, www.iht.com/bin/print_ipub.php?file�/articles/2005/07/18/business/ funding2.php. Accessed 9th August 2005. Mangen, S. (2004), ‘Contextualizing Spanish welfare performance: Fellow ‘Cohesion Countries’ Compared’, International Journal of Iberian Studies, 17: 3, pp. 131–151. Porto, M. (2000), ‘Portugal: da EFTA à União Europeia’, www.janusonline.pt. Accessed 25th May 2005. Portuguese Trade Commission (2000), Portugal: General Information: Economic Information, www.portugal.org/information/economic1/info_1a.html. Accessed 20th May 2005. Santos, D. (2000), ‘Innovation and territory: Which strategies to promote regional innovation systems in Portugal?’ European Urban and Regional Studies, 7: 2, pp. 147–157. Silva, C.N. (2002), ‘Local and regional government: Continuity and innovation in local governance’, in S. Syrett (ed.), Contemporary Portugal: Dimensions of Economic and Political Change, Aldershot: Ashgate. Syrett, S.J. (1996), ‘International regulation and regional development: Consequences of the single European market for SME’s in Portugal’, European Planning Studies, 4: 6, pp. 739–756. Syrett, S.J. (1997), ‘Cavaco Silva, the European union and regional inequality’, International Journal of Iberian Studies, 10: 2, pp. 98–108. Syrett, S.J. (2002), ‘Economic change and regional development in Portugal’, in S.J. Syrett (ed.), Contemporary Portugal: Dimensions of Economic and Political Change, Aldershot: Ashgate. Syrett, S.J. and Silva, C.N. (2001), ‘Regional development agencies in Portugal: Recent development and future challenges’, Regional Studies, 35: 2, pp. 174–180. Teixeira, N.S. (2003), ‘Between Africa and Europe: Portuguese foreign policy, 1890–2000’, in A.C. Pinto (ed.), Contemporary Portugal: Politics, Society and Culture, Boulder: SSM.

PY - 2006

Y1 - 2006

N2 - The European Free Trade Association's Industrial Development Fund for Portugal completed its operations in 2002 after 25 years of contribution to the country's economic evolution. During this period, the Fund approved almost 1,750 preferential loans worth over 789 million euros, which in turn generated some 3 billion euros of overall investment. This article evaluates the role of the IDF by focussing upon the difficulties associated with creating jobs and developing the human resource base through vocational training schmes. It shows that the Fund's financial activity was spatially channelled mainly towards Portugal's western coastal margin, and remained biased in favour of the country's traditional manufacturing industries. It critiques the validity of such a focus on process and evaluates the spatial efficacy inherent in promoting a scheme that appears to work to the detriment of disadvantaged interior regions, instead of achieving its goal of equitably distributing funds throughout the country.

AB - The European Free Trade Association's Industrial Development Fund for Portugal completed its operations in 2002 after 25 years of contribution to the country's economic evolution. During this period, the Fund approved almost 1,750 preferential loans worth over 789 million euros, which in turn generated some 3 billion euros of overall investment. This article evaluates the role of the IDF by focussing upon the difficulties associated with creating jobs and developing the human resource base through vocational training schmes. It shows that the Fund's financial activity was spatially channelled mainly towards Portugal's western coastal margin, and remained biased in favour of the country's traditional manufacturing industries. It critiques the validity of such a focus on process and evaluates the spatial efficacy inherent in promoting a scheme that appears to work to the detriment of disadvantaged interior regions, instead of achieving its goal of equitably distributing funds throughout the country.

KW - Portugal

KW - industrialization

KW - funding mechanisms

KW - employment creation

KW - spatial development

U2 - 10.1386/ijis.19.3.187/1

DO - 10.1386/ijis.19.3.187/1

M3 - Article

VL - 19

SP - 187

EP - 204

IS - 3

ER -