This open access book is the result of the 1st International Conference on Evaluating Challenges in the Implementation of EU Cohesion Policy (EvEUCoP 2022). It presents the recent findings, sparks discussion, and reveals new research paths addressing the use of novel methodologies and approaches to tackle the challenges and opportunities that are unveiled with the implementation of the EU cohesion policy. The authors cover a wide range of topics including the monitoring of data; the clearness of indicators in measuring the impact of interventions; novel evaluation methods, addressing the mid-term and terminal assessment; as well as case studies and applications on evaluations of the thematic objectives under the scrutiny of the cohesion policy, namely:* Research, technological development, and innovation; * Information and communication technologies;* Shift toward a low-carbon economy. During the 2014-2020 programmatic period, member states were required to undertake assessments to evaluate the efficacy, efficiency, and impact of each operational program. Such evaluations are generally concerned with the compliance of projects and activities with programmatic priorities, as well as with funds' absorption capacity and refer to ex-ante and ex-post assessments. Hence, this book proposes the use of novel methodologies addressing the mid-term and terminal assessments that enable performing the efficiency appraisal of the operational programs and that can support decision-makers in the selection of projects that should be awarded for funding.

Statistics has been a main tool in almost every field of activity and an essential part of applied scientific work, supporting conclusions and offering insights into new uses for established methodologies, thus making it a valuable resource in looking for faceless facts. Model construction describing populations or phenomena subject to randomness use a wide range of methods. Data collection provides the basis for modelling and assumption verification. Modelling must be conducted using suitable techniques that give researchers the means to search for hidden facts or behaviours. This may be addressed by fitting pre-defined shapes and distributions to the data or by allowing the data to reveal its intrinsic properties by using nonparametric methods. This volume contains a selection of contributions presented at the XVIII Annual Congress of the Portuguese Statistical Society.

This open access book is the result of the 1st International Conference on Evaluating Challenges in the Implementation of EU Cohesion Policy (EvEUCoP 2022). It presents the recent findings, sparks discussion, and reveals new research paths addressing the use of novel methodologies and approaches to tackle the challenges and opportunities that are unveiled with the implementation of the EU cohesion policy. The authors cover a wide range of topics including the monitoring of data; the clearness of indicators in measuring the impact of interventions; novel evaluation methods, addressing the mid-term and terminal assessment; as well as case studies and applications on evaluations of the thematic objectives under the scrutiny of the cohesion policy, namely:* Research, technological development, and innovation; * Information and communication technologies;* Shift toward a low-carbon economy. During the 2014-2020 programmatic period, member states were required to undertake assessments to evaluate the efficacy, efficiency, and impact of each operational program. Such evaluations are generally concerned with the compliance of projects and activities with programmatic priorities, as well as with funds' absorption capacity and refer to ex-ante and ex-post assessments. Hence, this book proposes the use of novel methodologies addressing the mid-term and terminal assessments that enable performing the efficiency appraisal of the operational programs and that can support decision-makers in the selection of projects that should be awarded for funding.

Statistics has been a main tool in almost every field of activity and an essential part of applied scientific work, supporting conclusions and offering insights into new uses for established methodologies, thus making it a valuable resource in looking for faceless facts. Model construction describing populations or phenomena subject to randomness use a wide range of methods. Data collection provides the basis for modelling and assumption verification. Modelling must be conducted using suitable techniques that give researchers the means to search for hidden facts or behaviours. This may be addressed by fitting pre-defined shapes and distributions to the data or by allowing the data to reveal its intrinsic properties by using nonparametric methods. This volume contains a selection of contributions presented at the XVIII Annual Congress of the Portuguese Statistical Society.