The European Union: Economy, Society, and Polity

• 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

Readership: Introductory undergraduate textbook aimed at students of European Geography; also suitable for students of economics and politics

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

"'...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"

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