Positive but limited: The impacts of the European Cohesion Policy and relative decline in Wakefield, West Yorkshire on the EU Referendum

This thesis set out to answer the question as to what impact had the European Cohesion Policy [ECP] had on “left-behind” areas. This research used Wakefield in West Yorkshire as a typical “left-behind” area for a single case study research using a mixed method approach. Critical Realism [CR] underpins the project as its philosophical framework to ensure cohesion, and the direction of the research derived from a more ethnographical approach. To trace the origins of how Wakefield became “left-behind” and how their socio-economic problems became entrenched, this thesis analysed impact of the Thatcher-era policies as a starting point. Through an analysis of interview data, archival data, and socio-economic indicators, findings from this research contributes to the three main strands of literature related to this thesis – namely Brexit, Euroscepticism, and the ECP. The main contribution this thesis makes to the Brexit literature is that the concept of relative decline helps bridge gap between the economic and cultural arguments behind the Brexit vote. In terms of the Euroscepticism literature, this thesis finds that the passive promotion of the ECP was unable to compete with the prevailing sense of Euroscepticism in the UK. This thesis finds that although the ECP has helped to create legacies of a virtuous cycle, the impact of the ECP is best described as positive yet limited. Combined, these three arguments are the main unique contribution this thesis makes to the growing literature on Euroscepticism, Brexit, and the ECP, respectively. This thesis concludes by arguing that further decentralisation is key if lessons are to be learned from Brexit.