European economic and political issues, 5

Book abstract:

This book is part of a series which aims to generate debate over the many problematic economic and political issues which continually confront the changing face of Europe. It is structured into seven chapters, each with a different author and each tackling a different topic.

Chapter one comprises of a paper on budget consolidation, in terms of the relationship between fiscal policy and five European democracies: Germany, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Sweden. The basis of the argument is that those nations following more restrictive fiscal policies enjoy lower unemployment figures than those that do not. In chapter two, there is a discussion of exchange rate movements in Central and Eastern European countries between 1991 and 1997. Despite the fact that some evidence of exchange rate 'convergence' did appear between these countries, the actual results are more difficult to quantify. Chapter three employs European Union (EU) budget data from 1986 to 1998 in order to understand the effects of the EU's broadly redistributive character, and chapter four considers the consistently problematic relationship between Turkey and the EU. The writer in chapter seven addresses the question of inward investment in Poland, along with assessing the extent to which foreign capital influences Polish exports to the EU, and chapter six looks at the case of England in terms of the so called 'New Regionalism'; that is, the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) set up in 1999. Chapter seven concludes the book by examining the problem of European security and stability, particularly with respect to US and European contributions. It begins by pointing out the new instability in the Balkans which resulted from the break up of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War.

The book is intended for students, academics, practitioners, and anyone with an interest in the issues and problems discussed.

The book is distributed in the United Kingdom by Gazelle Book Services.

http://www.gazellebooks.co.uk/ http://www.gazellebooks.co.uk/

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