Podpora hospodářsky slabých regionů ČR v letech 2014–2020: efektivita nástrojů politiky soudržnosti EU

This bachelor thesis examines the effectiveness of the European Union’s Cohesion Policy instruments in the Czech Republic through a convergence analysis between the cohesion regions Prague and Northwest for the period 2014–2020. The aim is to assess whether EU funds contribute to reducing interregional disparities and to determine the degree to which the socioeconomic development of the two regions converges or diverges over time. The analysis applies a quantitative comparative assessment of selected socioeconomic indicators, a comparison of the intensity of allocated support, and descriptive interpretation of observed trends. The empirical foundation relies primarily on publications of the Czech Statistical Office and databases available through the DotaceEU.cz portal, as well as the revised Partnership Agreement. The results show that the Northwest region receives significantly higher per capita support than Prague;however, convergence does not occur in most economic and infrastructural indicators. On the contrary, disparities in GDP per capita, gross fixed capital formations and access to healthcare tend to persist or to widen. Partial convergence is observed only in selected social and technical indicators. The findings suggest that the effectiveness of Cohesion Policy is shaped by a combination of economic, institutional, and spatial factors, and that higher financial allocations alone do not automatically lead to a reduction in regional disparities.