Policymakers saw European Community membership as a way for Spain to secure democracy and
promote economic development throughout the country. Nevertheless regional economic
disparities still persist in Spain almost twenty years after it entered the Community despite
significant European allocation of funds to remedy underdevelopment. How did the policies of
the European Union impact Spain? What lessons can new EU members learn from Spain's experience
within the European Union? Using rich empirical evidence and an innovative comparative analysis
this book examines the regional experiences of Galicia and the Valencian Community in Spain.
The political dynamics and persistence of clientelism which affect policymaking and policy
implementation within each region are particularly considered. These cases provide new insight
to explain why regional economic differences persist in Spain despite efforts to alleviate
them. Historically grounded and detailed this study analyzes the process of accession and the
ignored long-term ramifications of accession negotiations and treaties it focuses on the
often-overlooked contradiction between European regulations and regional development policies
and questions whether EU membership has been as beneficial as policymakers thought it would be.
