Increasingly, policies and laws commonly agreed within the EU shape the political and economic scenarios of nation states in Europe. However, the same European context is radically changing, essentially due to three major recent developments: the adoption of the Euro, EU enlargement to the east and the implementation of the Lisbon Strategy of structural reforms for growth and competitiveness. The book presents a thorough economic analysis of these three events and of their implications for both existing and potential EU policies and objectives. Carlo Altomonte and Mario Nava have written a very rigorous text in an accessible and jargon-free style, ensuring easy acquisition of invaluable insights into the European economic set-up and the possible evolution of EU policies, including an update on the reform of the Growth and Stability Pact and of the 2007 13 Financial Perspectives. The accessibility of economic concepts combined with the methodological rigour of this up-to-date text will be of great interest to both policy makers and students.

Ebook: The European Union: Economics, Policy And History

In examining alternative economic policies for the EU after the rejection of the European Constitution, this book covers: macroeconomic policy and the European Constitution; EU financial integration; reform of European regional policy; assessment and alternative proposals on European structural policies; and labour market policies in the EU.

The European Union is running at a fast pace in the area of economic growth. This book examines the inside details of Europe's expansion ranging from policy to exchange rates to employment and unemployment to public opinion.

This volume brings together contributions on the major economic policy issues which have opened up as a result of the immanent process of European Union Enlargement. The issues analyzed range from modelling and analyzing the costs and benefits of enlargement, to challenges for macroeconomic policy both at the EU level and in the new member countries to the state of affairs in the new member countries with respect to sectoral policy reforms such as those undertaken in the financial sector and in competition policy, and the impact of enlargement on Europe's trade policy agenda.

Subsidiarity in the European Union, as the guiding principle of decision-making "close to the people", is often motivated and discussed from a predominantly political perspective. In this book, experts draw the demarcation between national and European policies from an economic viewpoint. Insights from economic theory and empirical research are used both to analyse the assignment of policies between the EU and its member states and to identify appropriate levels of decision-making.

This book poses a critique of neoliberal economic polices in the EU and proposals for alternatives. The book argues that the economic weakness of the EU is the result of the very restrictive economic policy of the Union and most member states. The book advances from a comprehensive critique of macroeconomic, social and structural policies towards a concrete concept for a democratic European social model based on the objectives of full employment, welfare, social equity and ecological sustainability.

The Economics and Politics of European Integration offers a comprehensive history of European integration, from the conceptualization of a United States of Europe, to the present day. The special role of the United States in this process of integration, and the expansion and evolution of the European Union, is critically analyzed. The book also thoroughly discusses the current view of the EU and the complex crises emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic. While the book focuses primarily on Europe, the role of other countries is also examined. The rise of hostile enemies from Turkey, Russia, the US and China is explored, and the history and outcome of Brexit also receives unique focus. Maps are used throughout to clearly depict the enlargement process. This illuminating text will be valuable reading for students and researchers across international economics, economic history, political economy and European studies.

Acclaim for the first edition: ÔThe book is essential for students in European studies, international economics and business or international relations at both graduate and postgraduate level.Õ Ð Ricardo Pinheiro-Alves, The Times Higher Education Supplement Thoroughly revised and updated, the second edition of this highly acclaimed textbook will be required reading for graduate and undergraduate students on a wide range of courses including: European economics, economic policy, European integration, European studies and international relations. Exploring the EU at an important turning point and during uncertain and turbulent times, the text will also prove an invaluable reference tool for academics and policy makers concerned with any facet of European integration. Comprehensive and accessible, this far-reaching text: ¥ provides in-depth, state-of-the-art analysis of the origins, achievements and prospects of principal EU economic policies ¥ covers all EU member countries as well as candidate countries ¥ sets scenarios for future EU policy and organisational evolution ¥ prescribes possible paths and directions for the EU, not only for economic policies but also for organisational structure; ¥ features supplementary data via a companion website. Topics explored in detail include: EU budget, competition policy, Common Agricultural Policy, fiscal integration, monetary integration, industrial policy in manufacturing and services, trade policy and international economic cooperation, regional policy, social policy, mobility of labour, energy policy, transport policy, environment policy and enlargement.

This collection explores how pioneering gender equality policies have shaped women's economic presence in Europe since 2000. Equal pay policies, parental leave reforms, corporate quotas and electoral quotas have raised pressing questions about the effectiveness in promoting equal participation, as researchers quote both quantitative improvement in gender diversity and qualitative lag in cultural change. The chapters in this book present interlocking cross-national and cross-policy comparisons of the three most controversial reforms: equal pay, parental leave, and quotas for political representatives. The contributors address the cultural context in which reforms arose, internally contradictory policies, and the relative effectiveness of fast-track quotas and incentives compared to long-term efforts to change the overall culture of gender. This critical examination of the new millennium's groundbreaking gender policies will appeal to academics and practitioners interested in the progress of gender equality in the economic, political, and social welfare fields.