The European political economy: policy and theory, provides students, researchers and policy makers with a profound understanding of the theory and policy of the EU. The book covers in a comprehensive way the key issue areas of the European Union activity and it includes an analysis of all the important current developments in Europe such as the Brexit, the European Union sovereign debt crisis, the European economic governance problems and the macroeconomic adjustment challenges within Eurozone. The book also includes critical resources for readers and students such as review questions, appendixes, references and further reading lists. More specifically, the textbook explains thoroughly the institutional, economic and policy characteristics of the fundamental issue areas of European economy. It outlines the institutions and mechanisms of European union/Eurozone, the common agricultural, regional and trade policies, the impact of the single market and the single currency on European economy, the enlargement process and the key questions on the European macroeconomic adjustment process. In each chapter the book explains not only what is taking place in European economy but also which the feasible options of the European policy agenda are. The textbook enables readers to apply conceptual and theoretical knowledge to economic and political processes of European integration.

The core business of the European Union is the creation of an integrated European market. The scale of this project is enormous, covering a wide variety of national ‘models' of capitalism, many of which are marked by a heavy reliance on non-market institutions to govern and co-ordinate economic activity. This book introduces students to the fundamentals of European Union policy towards these national political economic governance institutions and the challenges arising from this evolving relationship. Chapter One examines the role of institutions in governing capitalist systems. Chapter Two explores the evolution of the EU's liberal ambition over the last five decades. Subsequent chapters then analyse the development of EU policy in relation to the governance of product, financial and labour markets. What sort of restructuring has it sought to achieve? How great a challenge do EU policies present to national practices? How effective have been its strategies of Europeanisation? In short, to what extent has it effected a liberal transformation in the institutional governance of European capitalism? At issue are fundamental questions concerning the power and status of nation-states in the context of the most ambitious experiment in co-operative regional integration yet witnessed.

The Political Economy of Integration in the European Union has gained a well-deserved reputation as the key textbook in the area of European studies, economics and politics. This new and fully revised edition comprehensively surveys recent changes - such as the deepening and widening of European integration through eastward expansion and the Maastricht and Amsterdam Treaties - whilst continuing to offer a thorough overview of integration. The core material has been revised to ensure the best possible grounding in the political economy of the EU. Jeffrey Harrop presents an accessible account of European integration, including: * free trade, the customs union and the internal market * agriculture and fisheries * industrial and technological policies * regional and social problems and policies * monetary integration * fiscal policy: taxation and the EU budget * world-wide trading links * an in-depth discussion of EU enlargement, including the proposed integration of Central and East European countries * an assessment of energy, transport and environment policies * an overall view of the progress and possible future of the European Union. The book has been widely adopted for both specialist courses in economics as well as interdisciplinary courses in European studies. Teachers who are already using the book or who would like to consider it are invited to send for a 60-day examination copy of the third edition.

In the European Union (EU), competition policy occupies a central place amongst other EU public policies and is the first truly supranational public policy regulating market competition. One of the stated objectives of EU competition policy is to prevent excessive concentration of economic power in the hands of a few.

Iceland can consider its participation in the European Economic Area (EEA) as an associate membership of the European Union (EU). Under the EEA agreement, Iceland participates in the EU free movement of capital, persons, services and industrial goods, along with cooperation in social policy and related fields. However, Iceland does not participate in the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), or in the EU Customs Union. This dissertation studies the effects of full EU membership on Iceland's Political Economy. It gives an overview of the EU, EEA and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), offering thorough analyses of the EMU, Agricultural Policy and Fisheries Policy. The dissertation also reviews the pros and cons of EU membership. A decision to join the EU is in the end a question of political choice and this dissertation is intended to make such a choice as informed as possible.

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.

The financial crisis – originated in 2008 in the United States – had a dramatic impact on the world economy. The European Union was immediately involved, but its reaction to the crisis was clearly inadequate. The misgovernment of the European economy not only put at risk the European Monetary Union, but it also caused further hindrances to the recovery of the global economy. The global financial turmoil shook deep-rooted beliefs. The doctrine of international neo-liberalism is more and more criticized. Nevertheless, the critics of neo-liberalism focus their attention on the relationship between the state and the market, as if the nation states, with their international organisations, have enough power for an effective global governance of the world economy. The model of European supranational integration, though seriously imperfect, can suggest some new way out from the crisis – even at the world level – based on a new relationship between the supranational government of the Union and the market. In this book, several academic disciplines are involved: international economics, international political economy, international law, international relations, political theory and democratic theory. Adopting such a multidisciplinary theoretical perspective, the volume tries to answer the following question: Is a more supranational Europe able to provide a better government of the EMU? Does this reform involve more European democracy?

During the last decade Europe has been transformed both politically and commercially. The establishment of a genuinely single marketplace in the context of an expanding membership has enabled the European Union greatly to enhance its role on the world stage. In the areas of trade and commercial policy the Union increasingly speaks with one voice. As a result of the Maastricht Treaty on Economic and Political Union of 1993, a process has been set in motion whereby the embryonic mechanisms of a common foreign policy (European Political Cooperation or EPC) are gradually evolving into a more comprehensive Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). The contributors to this volume describe and evaluate the nature and extent to which the European Union plays an independent role in international affairs. This pioneering work makes an important contribution to the literature on the European Union since the chapters present a comprehensive picture of the Union's foreign economic policies and actions, its foreign security policy, and the supranational nature of much Union decision-making. The book is significant, not only because of its dual focus on economics as well as politics, but also because it comprehensively covers the broad range of Union policies in both the economic and political spheres. The intended level of readership is undergraduate courses on the EU and on European politics; upper level undergraduate courses in International Relations; and graduate survey courses on the EU. The book is sufficiently comprehensive and instructive to achieve a wide readership, especially in North America and the UK.

Looks at how EU political institutions in security and defense have developed through the political economy of interest group intermediation.