Territorial Cohesion: Evaluating the Urban-Rural Linkage Through the Lens of Public Investments

The paper deals with the significant issue of urban-rural linkage, concentrating on the less-developed regions of Europe, and in particular the case study of the Calabria Region (southern Italy). Despite the evolution of the urban-rural exchange, inner areas are facing economic, social and environmental problems, resulting in unemployment, depopulation, marginalization, disengagement or degradation of historic and architectural capital. Institutional bodies and policy makers, in particular at the local level, deal with the complexity of the choices that need to be faced, requiring the capacity to implement complex decision-making processes and tools capable of integrating the use of territorial resources, culture accessibility and social integration. Investigating the issues emerging from the academic literature and policy documents of the past 20 years, the paper presents the preliminary research step on the interpretation of the urban-rural dynamics through the lens of the 2007–2013 public investments made in this region. The preliminary results in terms of expenditure efficiency, private co-investments and geographical distribution highlight the need for an economic evaluation approach to support local authorities in addressing the challenge of the EU Territorial Agenda 2020.