El Uso de técnicas cualitativas en la evaluación de programas

Los programas de desarrollo regional financiados por la Unión Europea

Abstract

The European Structural Funds for regional development policy are in a transition moment.
The previous programming ended in 1999, and in the new period the general objective is preserved:
economic and social cohesion in an increasingly diversified European Union. Throughout 2000
and 2001 programs have been approved for each European region.
The documentation of the new programming reveals that the European Commission has a
growing interest to know the impacts of the activities financed by European Funds. In fact, EU
norms corresponding to monitoring and evaluation have experienced important changes between
1999 and 2000: more precision in the references to the necessity and mandatory nature of
monitoring and evaluation, more concrete objectives; greater involvement and the responsibilities of
the States members; and linking the quality and results of evaluations with financial repercussions
for the States or regions. The main emphasis is monitoring and evaluation of structural interventions
to know their effectiveness.
Taking into account the evaluations made so far, how to know better the consequences
(effects and impacts) on the population and the regions of the policies of regional development?.
How can this knowledge be improved? This paper addresses both questions. Two important
elements for the quality of the evaluations are: the use of a qualitative approach and the design
and use of a system of continuous monitoring of the activities financed with European Funds.