Briefly discuss history and purpose of the European Unions cohesion policy. After that, identify each region eligible for funding during the 2014-2020 financial programming period as less developed regions. Calculate these regions total GDP as of 2014 (= sum of absolute GRP of each region) for each year and compare that to the rest of the EU until the latest year for which data is available. How did the less developed regions develop relative to the EU? Can you spot a difference regarding geography, e.g. between Mediterranean and Northern regions? What else seems worth noting? Your paper should be about ten pages long (not counting title, references etc.) and consist of three major parts. In the first part you should discuss the theory. As a point of departure, read the literature as provided on the last slide of the respective lecture session. In the cited textbooks, take also a look on chapters which were not covered in the lecture sessions. Additional academic literature can be found by checking on scholar.google.com which academic papers refer to the ones discussed in the lectures and seminars. After that, you should describe the appropriate method in a way that makes clear you understood it. The methods were discussed in the seminars and can be found described in the corresponding sets of slides. Of course, you are welcome to use additional sources explaining the method but should not go beyond what is demanded in the instructions. The major part of your exam (say, about half of total length) should consist of the results and an interpretation. The only data source you need is Eurostat, as software I recommend Excel though you are free to use whatever you prefer. Being creative, finding appropriate data and solutions to problems (e.g., missing data) is part of the exercise and will largely contribute to the grade.