The Political Economy of the European Social Model

The Political Economy of the European Social Model
Author: Philip B. Whyman
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 412
Release: 2012-05-31
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1136286217

This book seeks to analyse the development of the European Union (EU), which was founded upon the principle of the free movement of capital, goods, services and people in 1957. Its central thesis is that, from a practical and theoretical point of view, such a basis is fundamentally at odds with the creation of an interventionist regime that the construction of a social Europe would require. The authors argue convincingly that - economically: the EU does not currently possess the budget or the economic tools to pursue such a strategy; politically: close to none of the institutions of the EU have backed such a policy; practically: conservative and neo-liberal forces (among member states and the institutions of the EU) have repeatedly thwarted any moves in this direction. In reality, the Single Internal Market, Economic and Monetary Union, enlargement, the Lisbon Agenda and European Constitution projects all prioritise supply-side measures and expanding the scope of the market rather than the boosting of demand and other economic intervention. Consequently, constructing a social Europe in the face of this would appear problematic. Hence, in both theory and practice, the idea that there can be a social Europe vis-à-vis neoliberalisation is a contradiction in terms. This controversial book will be an educating and refreshing read for advanced students and academics involved with European politics, the European Union, European Economics and Economic instititutions.

The Political Economy of the Eurozone in Central and Eastern Europe

The Political Economy of the Eurozone in Central and Eastern Europe
Author: Krisztina Arató
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 252
Release: 2021-06-30
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 042953700X

The idea for this volume came from the enigma that some Central and Eastern European (CEE) European Union (EU) member states have been keen to join the Eurozone while others have shown persistent reluctance. Moreover, the attitudes towards joining have seemingly not correlated with either the level of economic development or the time spent as part of the EU, nor with any other rational reason such as the level of integration into the EU real economy, or the level of trust in the EU on the part of the public. Therefore, at first sight, the answer to the question ‘why in, why out?’ remains rather unclear. The attractiveness of the currency union has nevertheless not disappeared for the CEE countries. Despite the Eurozone crisis of 2010–13, it was during that time that the Baltic states introduced the euro. Then, after a few years of inactivity, Croatia and Bulgaria successfully applied for membership of the exchange rate mechanism in July 2020, amid the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. At the same time, the three Visegrad countries still using their national currencies – Poland, Czechia and Hungary – no longer have a target date to join the monetary union. This volume aims to discuss these issues from horizontal aspects and through country studies, with contributions from expert authors from, or closely related to, the CEE region.

Towards an Effective European Single Market

Towards an Effective European Single Market
Author: Michael Kaeding
Publisher: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften
Total Pages: 173
Release: 2012-07-12
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9783531196831

If the European Union and its Member States are to compete successfully in an increasingly aggressive global market, whilst many other economies continue to get stronger, all parts of the European Union, Member States and the EU institutions, have to regulate smarter. The answer therefore is not to give up on rules, but rather to develop and implement good quality rules. Presenting both timely and relevant forms of European policy instruments in the field of financial services, public administration, transport, working conditions and social protection, this volume shows which kind of policy instruments work and under what circumstances. This will help all to overcome many of the impediments to using alternative policy instruments at the European level as appropriate responses to pressing European and global governance challenges, such as efficiency, accountability, transparency and legitimacy.

Social policy in the European Union: state of play 2015

Social policy in the European Union: state of play 2015
Author: David Natali (OSE)
Publisher: ETUI
Total Pages: 298
Release: 2015-09-23
Genre: European Union countries
ISBN: 2874523747

The sixteenth edition of Social policy in the European Union: state of play has a triple ambition. First, it provides easily accessible information to a wide audience about recent developments in both EU and domestic social policymaking. Second, the volume provides a more analytical reading, embedding the key developments of the year 2014 in the most recent academic discourses. Third, the forward-looking perspective of the book aims to provide stakeholders and policymakers with specific tools that allow them to discern new opportunities to influence policymaking. In this 2015 edition of Social policy in the European Union: state of play, the authors tackle the topics of the state of EU politics after the parliamentary elections, the socialisation of the European Semester, methods of political protest, the Juncker investment plan, the EU’s contradictory education investment, the EU’s contested influence on national healthcare reforms, and the neoliberal Trojan Horse of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

Market Expansion and Social Dumping in Europe

Market Expansion and Social Dumping in Europe
Author: Magdalena Bernaciak
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2015-06-05
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1317660935

The term ‘social dumping’ regularly appears in public debates and in policymaking circles. However, due to its ambiguity it is used in a manner that is convenient for individual discourse participants, thus opening the door for misconceptions and ill-grounded accusations. This book systematically examines social dumping in the context of the European integration process. It defines social dumping as the practice, undertaken by self-interested market participants, of undermining or evading existing social regulations with the aim of gaining a competitive advantage. It also shows how the two major EU integration projects  the creation of the Internal Market, and EU enlargement to the east and to the south  have provided market actors with new incentives and opportunities to contest existing social ‘constraints’. The empirical chapters examine social dumping practices accompanying labour migration, employee posting and cross-border investment distribution. In addition, they outline the process of formation of social standards and trace initiatives at EU and national levels that contribute to the spread of social dumping in Europe. This book will be of interest to scholars and students of employment relations, EU studies, international political economy, globalisation studies, welfare studies, social policy and migration studies.

The Choice for Europe

The Choice for Europe
Author: Andrew Moravcsik
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 529
Release: 2013-10-11
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1134215347

The creation of the European Union arguably ranks among the most extraordinary achievements in modern world politics. Observers disagree, however, about the reasons why European governments have chosen to co- ordinate core economic policies and surrender sovereign perogatives. This text analyzes the history of the region's movement toward economic and political union. Do these unifying steps demonstrate the pre-eminence of national security concerns, the power of federalist ideals, the skill of political entrepreneurs like Jean Monnet and Jacques Delors, or the triumph of technocratic planning? Moravcsik rejects such views. Economic interdependence has been, he maintains, the primary force compelling these democracies to move in this surprising direction. Politicians rationally pursued national economic advantage through the exploitation of asymmetrical interdependence and the manipulation of institutional commitments.

The EU Social Market Economy and the Law

The EU Social Market Economy and the Law
Author: Delia Ferri
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 347
Release: 2018-07-20
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1351068504

Investigating the extent to which the European Union can be defined as a "highly competitive social market economy", this edited collection illustrates and tests the constitutional reverberations of Art. 3(3) of the Treaty on the European Union, and discusses its actual and potential transformative effect. In the aftermath of Brexit, and in the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, the book is particularly timely and topical, offering new and deeper insights on the complex and constantly evolving social dimension of the EU, ultimately reflecting on how the objective of (re)constituting the EU as a "highly competitive social market economy" might best be achieved.

Mutant Neoliberalism

Mutant Neoliberalism
Author: William Callison
Publisher: Fordham University Press
Total Pages: 445
Release: 2019-11-05
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0823285723

Tales of neoliberalism’s death are serially overstated. Following the financial crisis of 2008, neoliberalism was proclaimed a “zombie,” a disgraced ideology that staggered on like an undead monster. After the political ruptures of 2016, commentators were quick to announce “the end” of neoliberalism yet again, pointing to both the global rise of far-right forces and the reinvigoration of democratic socialist politics. But do new political forces sound neoliberalism’s death knell or will they instead catalyze new mutations in its dynamic development? Mutant Neoliberalism brings together leading scholars of neoliberalism—political theorists, historians, philosophers, anthropologists and sociologists—to rethink transformations in market rule and their relation to ongoing political ruptures. The chapters show how years of neoliberal governance, policy, and depoliticization created the conditions for thriving reactionary forces, while also reflecting on whether recent trends will challenge, reconfigure, or extend neoliberalism’s reach. The contributors reconsider neoliberalism’s relationship with its assumed adversaries and map mutations in financialized capitalism and governance across time and space—from Europe and the United States to China and India. Taken together, the volume recasts the stakes of contemporary debate and reorients critique and resistance within a rapidly changing landscape. Contributors: Étienne Balibar, Sören Brandes, Wendy Brown, Melinda Cooper, Julia Elyachar, Michel Feher, Megan Moodie, Christopher Newfield, Dieter Plehwe, Lisa Rofel, Leslie Salzinger, Quinn Slobodian

The European Union in the 21st Century

The European Union in the 21st Century
Author: Stefano Micossi
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2009
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9789290799290

The contributors to this book are all members of EuropEos, a multidisciplinary group of jurists, economists, political scientists, and journalists in an ongoing forum discussing European institutional issues. The essays analyze emerging shifts in common policies, institutional settings, and legitimization, sketching out possible scenarios for the European Union of the 21st century. They are grouped into three sections, devoted to economics and consensus, international projection of the Union, and the institutional framework. Even after the major organizational reforms introduced to the EU by the new Treaty of Lisbon, which came into force in December 2009, Europe appears to remain an entity in flux, in search of its ultimate destiny. In line with the very essence of EuropEos, the views collected in this volume are sometimes at odds in their specific conclusions, but they stem from a common commitment to the European construction.

The European Social Model in Crisis

The European Social Model in Crisis
Author: Daniel Vaughan-Whitehead
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 640
Release: 2015-04-30
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1783476567

This is the first book to provide a comprehensive and systematic assessment of the impact of the crisis and austerity policies on all elements of the European Social Model. This book assesses the situation in each individual EU member state on the basi