Social Economy and Social Entrepreneurship

Social Economy and Social Entrepreneurship
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 112
Release: 2013
Genre: Economics
ISBN:

Explains the specificities of the social economy and social enterprise, such as participatory decision-making focus on community development, reinvestment of profits or a social impact objective. Shows examples of how individual consumers or savers can make a qualitative difference in the way markets operate. Suggests that social economy and social enterprise represent an important source of inspiration and energy for a recovery in Europe from the current deep unemployment and social crisis.

The Brussels Effect

The Brussels Effect
Author: Anu Bradford
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 425
Release: 2020-01-27
Genre: Law
ISBN: 0190088591

For many observers, the European Union is mired in a deep crisis. Between sluggish growth; political turmoil following a decade of austerity politics; Brexit; and the rise of Asian influence, the EU is seen as a declining power on the world stage. Columbia Law professor Anu Bradford argues the opposite in her important new book The Brussels Effect: the EU remains an influential superpower that shapes the world in its image. By promulgating regulations that shape the international business environment, elevating standards worldwide, and leading to a notable Europeanization of many important aspects of global commerce, the EU has managed to shape policy in areas such as data privacy, consumer health and safety, environmental protection, antitrust, and online hate speech. And in contrast to how superpowers wield their global influence, the Brussels Effect - a phrase first coined by Bradford in 2012- absolves the EU from playing a direct role in imposing standards, as market forces alone are often sufficient as multinational companies voluntarily extend the EU rule to govern their global operations. The Brussels Effect shows how the EU has acquired such power, why multinational companies use EU standards as global standards, and why the EU's role as the world's regulator is likely to outlive its gradual economic decline, extending the EU's influence long into the future.

The Economic Integration of Europe

The Economic Integration of Europe
Author: Richard Pomfret
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2021-06-08
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0674259432

The clearest and most up-to-date account of the achievements—and setbacks—of the European Union since 1945. Europe has been transformed since the Second World War. No longer a checkerboard of entirely sovereign states, the continent has become the largest single-market area in the world, with most of its members ceding certain economic and political powers to the central government of the European Union. This shift is the product of world-historical change, but the process is not well understood. The changes came in fits and starts. There was no single blueprint for reform; rather, the EU is the result of endless political turmoil and dazzling bureaucratic gymnastics. As Brexit demonstrates, there are occasional steps backward, too. Cutting through the complexity, Richard Pomfret presents a uniquely clear and comprehensive analysis of an incredible achievement in economic cooperation. The Economic Integration of Europe follows all the major steps in the creation of the single market since the postwar establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community. Pomfret identifies four stages of development: the creation of a customs union, the deepening of economic union with the Single Market, the years of monetary union and eastward expansion, and, finally, problems of consolidation. Throughout, he details the economic benefits, costs, and controversies associated with each step in the evolution of the EU. What lies ahead? Pomfret concludes that, for all its problems, Europe has grown more prosperous from integration and is likely to increase its power on the global stage.

The Economic History of Central, East and South-East Europe

The Economic History of Central, East and South-East Europe
Author: Matthias Morys
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 529
Release: 2020-12-29
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 131741411X

The collapse of communism in Central, East and South-East Europe (CESEE) led to great hopes for the region and for Europe. A quarter of a century on, the picture is mixed: in many CESEE countries, the transformation process is incomplete, and the economic catch-up has taken longer than anticipated. The current situation has highlighted the need for a better understanding of the long-term political and economic implications of the Central, East and South-East European historical experience. This thematically organised text offers a clear and comprehensive guide to the economic history of CESEE from 1800 to the present day. Bringing together authors from both East and West, the book also draws on the cutting-edge research of a new generation of scholars from the CESEE region. Presenting a thoroughly modern overview of the history of the region, the text will be invaluable to students of economic history and CESEE area studies.

Europe's Growth Champion

Europe's Growth Champion
Author: Marcin Piatkowski
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 397
Release: 2018
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0198789343

What makes countries rich? What makes countries poor? Europe's Growth Champion: Insights from the Economic Rise of Poland seeks to answer these questions, and many more, through a study of one of the biggest, and least heard about, economic success stories. Over the last twenty-five years Poland has transitioned from a perennially backward, poor, and peripheral country to unexpectedly join the ranks of the world's high income countries. Europe's Growth Champion is about the lessons learned from Poland's remarkable experience, the conditions that keep countries poor, and the challenges that countries need to face in order to grow. It defines a new growth model that Poland and its Eastern European peers need to adopt to grow and catch up with their Western counterparts. Poland's economic rise emphasizes the importance of the fundamental sources of growth- institutions, culture, ideas, and leaders- in economic development. It demonstrates that a shift from an extractive society, where the few rule for the benefit of the few, to an inclusive society, where many rule for the benefit of many, can be the key to economic success. *IEurope's Growth Champion asserts that a newly emerged inclusive society will support further convergence of Poland and the rest of Central and Eastern Europe with the West, and help to sustain the region's Golden Age. It also acknowledges the future challenges that Poland faces, and that moving to the core of the European economy will require further reforms and changes in Poland's developmental character.

Origins of the European Economy

Origins of the European Economy
Author: Michael McCormick
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 1138
Release: 2001
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780521661027

A comprehensive analysis of economic transition between the later Roman empire and Charlemagne's reigne.

Wage bargaining under the new European Economic Governance

Wage bargaining under the new European Economic Governance
Author: Guy Van Gyes
Publisher: ETUI
Total Pages: 419
Release: 2015-09-28
Genre: Collective bargaining
ISBN: 2874523739

Within the framework of the new European economic governance, neoliberal views on wages have further increased in prominence and have steered various reforms of collective bargaining rules and practices. As the crisis in Europe came to be largely interpreted as a crisis of competitiveness, wages were seen as the core adjustment variable for ‘internal devaluation’, the claim being that competitiveness could be restored through a reduction of labour costs. This book proposes an alternative view according to which wage developments need to be strengthened through a Europe-wide coordinated reconstruction of collective bargaining as a precondition for more sustainable and more inclusive growth in Europe. It contains major research findings from the CAWIE2 – Collectively Agreed Wages in Europe – project, conducted in 2014–2015 for the purpose of discussing and debating the currently dominant policy perspectives on collectively-bargained wage systems under the new European economic governance.

Economy and Society in Europe

Economy and Society in Europe
Author: Luigi Burroni
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2012
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1849805814

'Drawing on the development of economic sociology over the past 40 years, this book brings together leading scholars to explore the relationship between social institutions on economic processes. Inspired in particular by the innovative and creative dimensions of Colin Crouch's work, they signpost directions for future research. It will be an important reader for international scholars exploring the unfolding dimensions of contemporary relations in economy and society.' Jacqueline O'Reilly, University of Brighton Business School, UK 'Improving our understanding of how economy and society interrelate in Europe is of paramount importance. The rigorous and thought-provoking analyses about the interaction between markets and the institutions of society contained in this book undoubtedly represent an excellent example of how this improvement can be achieved, especially in these times of crisis.' Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, London School of Economics, UK 'This book offers a refreshing account of the deep changes occurring over recent years in the relationship between economy and society in Europe. This is of course a classical theme since Max Weber's work, but the social institutions which shape economic performance have profoundly evolved, as have the analytical categories used to understand them. The contributions in this volume provide a broad and interesting perspective, dealing with issues as varied as industrial relations, welfare regimes, families and the labour market, universities, local governance and many others. In the wake of the financial crisis, the major theories on the role of such institutions are found partly unsatisfactory, as the boundaries between economy and society are constantly shifting. Everyone interested in improving our analytical tools to understand the direction of change in Europe should welcome this book.' Marino Regini, University of Milan, Italy While an economy is always 'embedded' in society, the relationship between the two is undergoing profound changes in Europe, resulting in widespread instability which is emphasised by the current crisis. This book analyses these changes, and in particular pressures of intensifying international competition, globalization and financialization within Europe. Combining the perspectives of economic sociology, political economy and political science, the expert contributors offer an in-depth, multidisciplinary insight to the functioning of a number of institutional arenas around which European economies and societies are organized. Areas explored include the state and public policy at European national and regional level, the welfare state, industrial relations systems, education systems and the family. This challenging and thought provoking book will be of great interest to a wide-ranging audience across a number of disciplines, including European studies, political science, comparative political economy, economic sociology, industrial relations and social policy.

Rewriting the Rules of the European Economy: An Agenda for Growth and Shared Prosperity

Rewriting the Rules of the European Economy: An Agenda for Growth and Shared Prosperity
Author: Joseph E. Stiglitz
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages: 291
Release: 2020-01-28
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 039365141X

A companion to his acclaimed work in Rewriting the Rules of the American Economy, Joseph E. Stiglitz, along with Carter Dougherty and the Foundation for European Progressive Studies, lays out the economic framework for a Europe with faster growth that is more equitably shared. Europe is in crisis. Sluggish economic growth in many countries, widespread income stagnation, and recession have led to severe political and social consequences. Social protections for citizens have been cut back. Governments offer timid responses to deep-seated problems. These economic and political failures have contributed to the rise of extremist parties on the right. Marginalized populations are being made scapegoats for Europe’s woes. But the problems of today’s Europe stem from decisions based on a blind worship of markets in too many areas of policy. If Europe is to return to an innovative and dynamic economy—and if there is to be shared prosperity, social solidarity, and justice—then EU countries need to break with their current, destructive trajectory. This volume offers concrete strategies for renewal that would also reinvigorate the project of European integration, with fresh ideas in the areas of both macroeconomics and microeconomics, including central banking, public investment, corporate governance and competition policy, social policy, and international trade.

The European Guilds

The European Guilds
Author: Sheilagh Ogilvie
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 682
Release: 2021-06-15
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0691217025

"Guilds ruled many crafts and trades from the Middle Ages to the Industrial Revolution, and have always attracted debate and controversy. They were sometimes viewed as efficient institutions that guaranteed quality and skills. But they also excluded competitors, manipulated markets, and blocked innovations. Did the benefits of guilds outweigh their costs? Analyzing thousands of guilds that dominated European economies from 1000 to 1880, The European Guilds uses vivid examples and clear economic reasoning to answer that question. Sheilagh Ogilvie's book features the voices of honorable guild masters, underpaid journeymen, exploited apprentices, shady officials, and outraged customers, and follows the stories of the "vile encroachers"--Women, migrants, Jews, gypsies, bastards, and many others--desperate to work but hunted down by the guilds as illicit competitors. She investigates the benefits of guilds but also shines a light on their dark side. Guilds sometimes provided important services, but they also manipulated markets to profit their members. They regulated quality but prevented poor consumers from buying goods cheaply. They fostered work skills but denied apprenticeships to outsiders. They transmitted useful techniques but blocked innovations that posed a threat. Guilds existed widely not because they corrected market failures or served the common good but because they benefited two powerful groups--guild members and political elites."--Rabat de la jaquette.