The European Union: Economy, Society, and Polity

Andrés Rodríguez-Pose

A single-authored introduction which gives greater cohesion to the subject than comparable multi-contributor volumes
Comparative presentation of economic, political, and social trends in the EU over the last 20 years
Analytical and issue-based approach to the geography of the EU
Written for the introductory student - a concise, accessible text

The European Union: Economy, Society, and Polity

Andrés Rodríguez-Pose

Description

At the beginning of the 21st century the European Union faces twin challenges: the institutional challenge, linked to the processes of greater integration and expansion, and the structural challenge, which will in the medium-run determine the place of the EU in the world. This textbook deals with this latter set of challenges, focusing on economic aspects, such as competitiveness and cohesion, as well as on other important issues such as ageing, migration, social polarization, and the emergence of regionalism and nationalism.

The European Union: Economy, Society, and Polity

Andrés Rodríguez-Pose

Part I: ECONOMY
1: Competitiveness
Introduction
The stages of economic integration
Economic integration as a means to achieve competitiveness
The impact of economic integration
Conclusion
2: Cohesion
Introduction
National and regional disparitites in the EU
European development policies
The efficiency of European development policies after the reform of the Structural Funds
Conclusion
Part II: SOCIETY
3: Ageing
Introduction
Demographic change in the EU
The factors behind ageing
Policies aimed at tackling demographic change
Conclusion
4: Migration and xenophobia
Introduction
Migration and its forms
Mass migration in post-war Europe
The renewal of migration in the 1990s
The European response to migration
Conclusion
5: Unemployment and social polarization
Introduction
Employment change in the post-industrial age
The roots of persistently high unemployment
The impact of labour market flexibility on unemployment
Conclusion
Part III: POLITY
6: Enlargement
Introduction
Change in central and eastern Europe
The different transitions in central and eastern Europe
Enlargement and European integration
Conclusion
7: Regionalism and regionalization
Introduction
Regional devolution in Europe
The transfer of power from the nation state to the regions
The roots of the regionalization process
Towards a 'Europe of the Regions'?
Conclusion

The European Union: Economy, Society, and Polity

Andrés Rodríguez-Pose

Author Information

Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, Senior Lecturer in Economic Geography and Royal Society-Wolfson Research Merit Award Holder at the London School of Economics and Political Science

The European Union: Economy, Society, and Polity

Andrés Rodríguez-Pose

Reviews and Awards

"'...an extraordinarily useful overview of the economic geography/macro-sociology of the EU, not least for its strongly pedagogic intentions (that include on-line maps, data, and overheads that can be used in the classroom to support the text).' Environment and Planning 2003"