What drives employment growth and social inclusion in the regions of the European Union?

Abstract

The European Union promotes development strategies aimed at producing growth with "a strong emphasis on job creation and poverty reduction". However, whether the economic conditions in place in EU regions are ideal for the generation of high-and low-skilled employment and labour market inclusion is unclear. This paper assesses how the key factors behind EU growth strategiesinfrastructure, human capital, innovation, quality of governmentcondition employment generation and labour market exclusion in European regions. The findings indicate that the dynamics of employment and social exclusion vary depending on the conditions in place in a region. While higher innovation and education contribute to overall employment generation in some regional contexts, low-skilled employment grows the most in regions with a better quality of government. Regional public institutions, together with the endowment of human capital, emerge as the main factors for the reduction of labour market exclusionparticularly in the less developed regionsand the promotion of inclusive employment growth across Europe.

Government institutions and the dynamics of urban growth in China

“…In the presence of inefficient governments and high levels of corruption, the returns to skills, innovation, and better accessibility can be seriously weakened. Corruption contributes to nontransparent labor markets in which employment and the use of skills are often related not to merit but to personal connections and the presence of clientelistic and nepotistic networks (Di Cataldo & Rodríguez‐Pose, ). This can drive talent away from the labor market and lead to migration and brain drain.…”

Abridged International Perspectives of Technology Education and Its Connection to STEM Education

“…However, the T (technology) and E (engineering) aspects often become lost or seen as subsidiary to science and mathematics. This matters because STEM education is seen as an area of concern in several nations: STEM education policy is shaped by, and responds to, the perception that STEM knowledge and innovation drives economic growth and recovery in a post-industrial globalised world, despite the evidence for this being mixed (Bozick, Srinivasan & Gottfried, 2017;Cataldo & Rodríguez-Pose, 2017). STEM therefore becomes a key element underpinning improvements to national economic capacity through technological and engineering innovation.…”

Decentralisation Versus Territorial Inequality: A Comparative Review of English City Region Policy Discourse

“…On the contrary, European Union (EU) policy in particular has traditionally pursued a 'cohesion' policy of redistribution between regions through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF), but has increasingly changed to a policy of fostering growth in all regions, including lagging regions [38], under the Single European Act (1986) and the Lisbon Treaty (1992). This is relevant to the future of areas outside the selected devolved city regions, particularly since the referendum vote to leave the European Union, as research has illustrated that ESF funding fills a gap in U.K. regional funding, policy, and governance structures, and its loss will pose a great challenge to more disadvantaged areas [39][40][41].…”