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Ireland's pragmatic adaptation to regionalization: the Mid-West region

Ireland is perceived as perhaps the most effective user of EU structural and cohesion funds. Involvement in the EU has contributed significantly to the emergence of the Celtic Tiger. Using regional policy as a lens, this article explores Ireland's pragmatic adaptation to European policy. The article examines the Irish socio-economic context, the significance of its institutions and the level of social capital as a context for exploring the country's adaptation to EU membership and the evolution of its regional policy structures. A more detailed analysis of the impact of adaptation to EU regional policy in the Mid-West region is carried out by means of social network analysis. The patterns of adaptation and institutional and policy learning amongst the main governmental and non-governmental actors in the Mid-West region are examined and conclusions are drawn about the “goodness of fit” between Ireland's existing institutions and the EU's regional policy processes and instruments.