John BACHTLER

John BACHTLER is Professor Emeritus of European Policy Studies at the University of Strathclyde. He holds a BA (Hons) in Geography from the University of Wales and undertook postgraduate research at the University of Birmingham. His research experience focuses principally on regional and industrial development in Europe, encompassing the regional policies of the EU-28 Member States and candidate countries, the European Union’s structural and cohesion policies, and EU enlargement.

He has led EPRC research on regional policy, including the evaluation of Structural Fund programmes, EU regional development strategies, and the implementation of the Funds. His recent work focuses on administrative capacity and the implementation of EU Cohesion Policy. He has published books, chapters, articles, and research papers on regional economic development and regional policy, as well as on service-sector policies, multinational location factors, inward investment policies in Europe, and European economic integration.

He is a director of two EPRC research and knowledge-exchange programmes: IQ-Net (Improving the Quality of Structural Funds Programme Management), which involves comparative studies of the management and implementation of Structural Fund programmes in 15 Member States; and EoRPA (European Regional Policy Research Consortium), which undertakes comparative research on the regional policies of 30 European countries.

He has served as an expert adviser to numerous government departments across Western, Central, and Eastern Europe, as well as to international organisations, including the European Parliament, European Commission, Committee of the Regions, Nordic Council of Ministers, and the OECD. He is an Academician of the UK Academy of Social Sciences, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and Vice-Chair and Fellow of the Regional Studies Association.