European cohesion? Contradictions in EU integration

Book abstract:

This book addresses the problem of cohesion in the European Union. It examines not just those policies designed to bring about cohesion, but also those which significantly reduce the likelihood of cohesion being achieved. It also examines the relationship between policies generated by the EU and those initiated by Member States, as these are not always complementary.

The book focuses on three areas of EU activity: regional policy, trans-European networks, and state aids to industry, and it challenges some assumptions about cohesion: for example that regional policy is a form of redistribution of wealth from richer to poorer areas. It argues that cohesion, rather than being an objective in its own right, has been systematically redefined as a tool of competitiveness. It further argues that in order to understand the EU we must look at the ways in which neo-liberal economic priorities have led to the privileging of regional autonomy over cohesion.

The book aims to offer fresh and productive insights into the way in which EU cohesion policy works, what determines the success or otherwise of its programmes and the key factors that shape the contemporary EU. It will be of interest to students of sociology, as well as students from European studies and politics departments.

Chris Rumford is Visiting Fellow at City University, London. He lives in Istanbul where he teaches at Istanbul Kultur University.