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Italy is considered as a country where the regional economic and social disparities are still the widest in the European Union, even though Italy is one of the largest beneficiaries of the EU´s regional policy. Therefore, this book aims to give a deeper insight into the impact and effectiveness of the EU´s regional policy and regional governments on the reduction of economic and social disparities between Italian regions for the period of 2000-2006. The scope of this research is limited to two Italian regions: Friuli-Venezia Giulia (special statute region/regione autonome a statuto speciale) and Puglia (ordinary statute region/regione a statutio ordinario), by taking into consideration that the EU´s contribution through Structural Funds has been significantly high, especially during the last decades. In order to explain the regional gap between these regions, this book aims at providing an answer to the following research question: Which factors are influential in the reduction of the regional economic and social disparities between Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Puglia?

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Floreta K‰rtusha is a PhD Candidate in International Relation at European Studies Institute, University of Tirana, Albania. In 2010, she got a Master Degree in European Studies at Maastricht University,The Netherlands. In 2007, she is graduated in Political Science at University of Tirana. K‰rtusha has been working as Lecturer of Political Science.

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