This research project examines how the European Union allocates and disburses financial resources, particularly in the areas of social and industrial policy. It addresses the growing role of the EU as a spending state. The project applies competence-control (cc) theory to understand how institutional arrangements - the balance between the ability of DGs to act in line with their interests (competence) and oversight by other actors (control) - affect EU spending practices and outcomes.

The project is structured around four interlinked work packages (WPs):

WP1 (Theorising) runs throughout the funding period and is intertwined with the empirical findings of the project. It develops core concepts and hypotheses based on cc theory about how different institutional arrangements of competence and control affect spending effectiveness and governance outcomes.

WP2 (Quantitative Analysis) builds the first comprehensive database on EU spending instruments and governance features in industrial and social policy. The aim is to statistically analyse (1) the gaps between allocations and actual spending and (2) the institutional features of spending governance.

WP3 (Spending Goals) aims to understand the goals and preferences of different actors involved in EU spending. This will be done by analysing the content of political debates and linking preferences to spending behaviour. Therefore, parliamentary speeches at national level and in the EP will be analysed.

WP4 (Qualitative Analysis) conducts a minimum of 16 in-depth case studies across time and policy areas using both primary and secondary sources. The aim is to compare how the theoretical assumptions from WP1 fit with the reality of EU spending instruments.