When looking at the spatial distribution of regional subsidary programs one detects regional disparities not intended by the programs. What is not known so far is what causes those disparities. In finding an answer to that question theoretical derived possibily reason where examined employing the main German regional economic policy measure, the so-called Gemeinschaftsaufgabe "Verbesserung regionaler Wirtschaftsstruktur" as a trial measure. The first part of the paper is concerned with understanding the goals and concepts of German regional policy, detailing the subsidary program under examination and discussing the state of evaluation on the measurement from a political science as well from an economic science perspective. The second part evolves around the empirical approach to finding evidence on what causes the spatial pattern. First the economic development of the studied state, Saxony-Anhalt, is traced from its beginnings in 1990 to date. Followed by a systematic evaluation of the effectiveness of the core regional policy measure. One approach sets out by the requirements determined by the program itself, one takes determinates beyond that into account. The focus then lay on the impact of the dynamics of economic development in different regions. In order to compare the various paths of development a model for typifing the regions, based on economic data, was developed and used as a backdrop for understanding the importance steming from those dynamics. It was clearly shown that the requirements laid out by the subsidary program do not influence the spatial distribution patterns despite the fact that the main goal of the Gemeinschaftsaufgabe "Verbesserung der regionalen Wirtschaftsstruktur" is to have a spatial influence. Instead the regional economic development paths determined the outcome of the patterns surveyed here. The most successful regions, by inner-state comparision, clearly dominate the scene. Or: the slower the regional economic development the less use is made of the program intended to help regions with slow economic growth. And still, reaching the conclusion that the the Gemeinschaftsaufgabe "Verbesserung der regionalen Wirtschaftsstruktur" is not effective would be ignoring the fact that the economic growth of the state of Saxony-Anhalt is the slowest in Germany. |