The European Union: Economy, society and polity

Book abstract:

The enlargement of the European Union, the growing tide of regionalism and nationalism, the problems of unemployment and migration - these are all issues that will determine the shape of any future European Union and its role in the world. All of these and many more are discussed in this work which addresses the current challenges and future prospects of the European Union.

The book is divide into three parts that reflect the elements of the sub title. Part I addresses the economic issues of competitiveness and how the process of European economic integration is dealing with them. The early impact of this integration is presented before the discussion moves on to economic cohesion. The possible impact on economic growth and imbalances and the effectiveness of European development policies are explored.

Social challenges are the topic in part II with coverage of issues such as ageing, migration, xenophobia, unemployment and social polarisation. Part III deals with the political aspects of European integration and examines the two most important challenges at the beginning of the 21st Century - those of enlargement and regionalisation. The transition from communism and central planning to democracy and market economies and the difficulties of that process are discussed. The changing political map of the European continent is given close examination as a new Europe emerges with much stronger input from regions as a consequence of devolution of power by former centralised nation states. Can nation states press the arguments of sovereignty as they themselves become compressed by the forces of supranational and sub national powers?

The book will interest new students of European Studies and being written by a single author offers an easier pathway to the subject than many of the multi-contributor 'route maps' available.

Andrés Rodríguez-Pose is a Senior Lecturer in Economic Geography and holder of the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award at the London School of Economic and Political Science.