Vexing issues concerning internal and external change challenge Europe, it tries hard to regroup, reform and refocus. This series is intended to present an ongoing forum to stimulate discussion of these issues. Contents: Preface; Nordic Studies of Power and Democracy: Towards a Constructivist Analysis of Governance from Below; Measuring Rent Seeking Activity Levels in OECD Countries: A MIMIC Approach; The Constitutionalisation of Social Norms, Political Practice and the Sanctions of the EU Fourteen Against the Austrian Government; Th Bitter Cure of Budget Consolidation: Restrictive Fiscal Policies by the West European Left and Their Consequences for Employment; Index.

Vexing issues concerning internal and external change challenge Europe as it tries hard to regroup, reform and refocus. This series is intended to present an ongoing forum to stimulate discussion of these issues. Political Bailout in Germany; Integrating European Financial Services: Developing Substantive Theory; The External and Internal Balance of the Convergence Process of Transformation Economies to the EU; Economic Effects of Nuclear Phase-Out in Germany; The Asymmetric Adjustment of Prices: Theory and Evidence from UK Manufacturing; European Union: Deeper Integration or Wider Membership? A Multivariate Statistical Analysis: Introduction; Research Design; The European Community on an Uncertain Path; Active Citizenship in the Changing Society -- Evidence from Six European Countries; European Union Media Policy: Finding a Path Between Commercial and Public Broadcasting in a Dual System; Index.

This book presents an overview of the economics and politics implemented in the European Union and especially the Eurozone during the crisis of 2008-2012. Although it focuses on these four years, the analysis starts from the establishment of the European Union and covers the period up to the outbreak of the Cypriot banking crisis in mid-2013. The long-term creation of structural changes in European economics and politics is associated with a growth lag within the global economic environment dynamics. The economic and political consequences of the crisis and the development of new institutions will shape the future growth dynamics towards a Fragmented European Federation.

Challenges for Europe in the World, 2030 embodies critical thinking about the long-term implications for Europe of the clear shift of power from the West to the East and the South. Designed as a multi-faceted project, this book presents an integrated assessment covering a wide range of policy areas and alternative assumptions about trends in global and European governance. In order to reach this ambitious objective in a comprehensive and consistent way, several types of quantitative and qualitative approaches have been combined: a model of macro regions of the world economy, an institutional perspective, and lessons from foresight studies. With a strong focus on policy implications, the book is introduced by an executive summary which outlines the project assumptions, especially on the future of Europe in the context of the current economic crisis and of the emergence of a new balance of powers in the global economy. Subsequent chapters cover the regulation of finance, trade and technology developments, environmental sustainability, employment conditions and population wellbeing. The book concludes with an assessment of the extent to which these developments are likely to lead to significant political changes in Europe. In sum this book challenges public policy makers to re-assess their thinking in shaping Europe’s future.

British politics has been revolutionized in the past ten years by two major factors: the hegemony of Thatcherism for eighteen years; and the current dominance of what some say is variant-Blairism--forged in opposition and enthroned in government since May 1997. This volume addresses key political issues which occupy the government and opposition, including: Blair's style of government, the philosophy of the welfare state and the question of its reform, policy-making in the oppressed local government sector, law and order, reform of the voting system, the effect of EU membership on British politics, the much criticized monarchy, privatization, the environment, education, standards in public life, the politics of the health service, and the usefulness of the House of Lords.

Monographic study of the prospects for regional cooperation, and economic integration in Europe between socialist countries and capitalist countries - stresses the mutual benefits of economic relations between countries with different social systems and focusses on the approach to the problem of CMEA countries, examines institutional frameworks and legal aspects, and covers trade relations, monetary relations, financial aspects, cooperation in the industrial sector, agricultural sector, transport, etc. Bibliography pp. 367 to 370 and statistical tables.

As with the previous version (Ashgate 2004), this second edition is divided, for didactic purposes, into two parts. The first part provides an overview of political science approaches to European political economy, both mainstream and critical ones. As such, it contributes directly to the current debate among scholars of political science and international political economy concerning the nature of the process of European integration. The second part provides alternative explanations of some European economic policy events - the ECB, banking regulation, fiscal co-ordination, the crisis of the euro-zone, social policy and unemployment - allowing the reader to assess the explanatory value of competing approaches.

On January 1 1995, Austria and Sweden joined the European Union (EU). This book examines why these two countries joined at such a moment and studies their accession against the structural background of globalization. In this cutting-edge analysis, Andreas Bieler argues that conventional neo-functionalist and intergovernmentalist theories fail to explain such structural change as they take existing power structures as given. Therefore, he develops a neo-Gramscian perspective as an alternative approach to European integration.

Estonia is regarded by many as one of the most hopeful cases for the integration of eastern Europe into the enlarged European Union. It provides positive examples of how the integration process can be well handled, but at the same time some of the contentious issues this can give rise to. This book assesses the tensions involved in the development of the Estonian economy in terms of growth, convergence, financial development, labour reallocation, structural and organizational change, and the role of foreign companies and international networks. The analysis of Estonia is placed within a broader context and among a wider set of nations, and thus aims at understanding the potential for growth and structural change in the eastern part of the enlarged EU. In these and related fields, the book seeks to draw lessons from Estonia for other new (and indeed future) EU accession countries.