*** LARRY NEAL: The Economics of Europe and the European Union. Cambridge University Press (The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK. Tel: (44-1223) 312393 - Fax: 315052 - Internet: http://www.cambridge.org ). 2007, 440 pp, ISBN 0-521-68301-7.
This is not a 'dry', inward-looking economic analysis but a broad approach exploring, for example, the links between European economics and politics in the broadest sense, not taking Europe in isolation from the rest of the world. It gives an account of the step-by-step repercussions of the crucial policies in the history of the European project.
The book is divided into two complementary parts. The first, entitled "The Economics of the European Union", describes the European Union's economic foundations and operations, along to an extent with its origins and operations in general, since its establishment until the 2004 round of enlargement. Despite the ultimate aim of ensuring peace on the continent of Europe, the EU is basically an economic construct. The dozen or so subjects covered (Customs Union and its role in expanding trade in Europe and the rest of the world, the Single Market, the Common Agricultural Policy, the single currency, the labour market, and immigration) are all basically economic at heart although by nature, the European reality is far more complex than mere economics. The opening chapter of this part of the book briefly reviews enlargement, various aspects of the EU's institutional organisation and the basic characteristics of its budget and probable future changes. Relations between the EU and the United States are also addressed, like the United States' role in setting up the European Union. In this connection, the author points out: "It's useful for understanding the sources of continued tension in EU-US relations to take a fresh look at the period before the creation of the European Economic Community in 1958"…
Emeritus professor of economics at Illinois University, the author bore in mind when writing the book that "the interplay of the economic politics of the European Union, operating as a supranational organization, with the economic policies of the individual member states, responding as sovereign nation states to the demands of their respective electorates, therefore, will determine the future of the political organization of Europe". The second part of the book logically enough looks in more detail at the economies and economic policies of European countries, mainly EU member states but also countries in the European Economic Area, Turkey, Ukraine and Belarus. There is a whole chapter each on Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom. Other countries are grouped together according to their shared characteristics or challenges. The chapters in the second part of the book are also subject to detailed economic, political and historical analysis, illustrated with statistics and written in a light, pleasant, reader-friendly style. The economic politics of the countries in question are described chronologically and read like a narrative. Moreover, alongside the traditional index of subject matter, further reading is also suggested and described briefly for each chapter.
The book provides a degree of continuity in time which is useful for achieving the necessary distance to gain proper understanding of the European Union and European countries' economic structures and the challenges facing them because, as Lincoln used to say, to act correctly, you have to know where you want to go and where you are coming from. The book's aim was not to suggest solutions, still less to come forward with objectives - the 'where you want to go' is left to readers. But it provides a coherent overview by presenting the 'where you come from' and, more importantly, 'where you are'. Larry Neal fortunately combines the work of an economist with the work of a historian trying to understand the whys and hows of the economic policies that shape Europe and its future in the world.
Frederik Ronse
*** WALTER LEAL FILHO, MARZENNA WERESA (Eds.): Achieving Competitiveness Through Innovations - A Challenge for Poland and Other New Member States. Peter Lang (1 Moosstrasse, CH-2542 Pieterlen. Tel.: (41-32) 3761717 - Fax: 3761727 - E-mail: info@peterlang.com - Internet: http://www.peterlang.de ). 2007, 246 pp, €34-40. ISBN 3-631-56136-9.
Innovation is central to the European Union's work on competitiveness and this book studies the connection between innovation and competitiveness and factors influencing the introduction of innovative approaches, based mainly on a base study of Poland. It opens with a general picture of the promotion of innovation in Europe and an assessment of the Lisbon Strategy's capacity in this connection. Prof. Walter Leal Filho then takes up the pen to describe means which could be used to introduce concerted innovation policies and improve competitiveness. In passing, he points out that the concept of competitiveness is very different when applied to individual companies as opposed to conglomerates or groups of companies or when applied to competitiveness at local, national and international level. The first three chapters are an introduction describing the Lisbon Strategy, the connection between innovation and competitiveness and how they contribute to the European Union in general. These are not very innovative subjects given the abundant scientific literature in this domain. What is different and useful about this book is the way it deals with the issue in Poland (and to an extent the other new EU member states too), a country which seems to accumulate a series of problems and whose situation has even been getting worse in some fields. It does, however, have a number of trump cards, like the quality of its human resources when it comes to research and development.
(MEr)
*** JANET DINE, MARIOS KOUTSIAS, MICHAEL BLECHER: Company Law in the New Europe. The EU Acquis, Comparative Methodology and Model Law. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd (Glensanda House, Montpellier Parade, Cheltenham, Glos GL50 1UA, UK. Tel: (44-1242) 226934 - Fax: 262111 - e-mail: info@e-elgar.co.uk - Internet: http://www.e-elgar.com ). "Corporations, Globalisation and the Law" series. 2007, 369 pp, £90. ISBN 978-1-84542-415-2.
This book looks at how the prospect of joining the EU influences transition countries (and therefore also influences the EU's means to influence) particularly when it comes to the formulation of company law and commercial law. The influence does not only work in one direction, however, and the book also looks at the impact of the 2004 round of EU enlargement on the old member states, encouraging countries with social market economies to change their views. The authors, headed by Janet Dine, Director of the commercial law centre of Queen Mary's College at the University of London, start by looking at the mechanisms of the different rounds of EU enlargement and the way conditions have been imposed on new member states, like the Copenhagen Criteria and the duty to fully adopt all EU acquis (a demand imposed for the first time following pressure from France when the United Kingdom joined the EU). This part of the book also looks at the logic and motivations behind these rounds of enlargement both from the viewpoint of the candidate countries and from the viewpoint of the EU, raising the question of what kind of Europe was desired and towards what exactly a transition country has to 'transition'. This leads the authors to consider the roots and logic of commercial law, and consequently the economic model of society which candidate countries are asked to adopt, roots plunging into some rather surprising ideas about human rights (based on the central element of property law) of John Locke, which justify slavery and colonisation on the grounds of human rights. The book then suggests a company law model for transition countries, which is then commented upon with various articles explained in separate boxes in the interests of clarity.
(FRo)
*** FRANÇOIS LÉVÊQUE (Ed.): Competitive Electricity Markets and Sustainability. Edward Elgar Publishing (see above). 2006, 302 pp, £79-95. ISBN 978-1-84542-921-4.
Liberalising the generation and sale of electricity has pitted electricity companies against new problems like cutting production margins and more frequent saturation of electricity grids. Potential investment, long held back by lengthy investment returns and the problems inherent in coordinating these two industries in a satisfactory manner, are hardly leaping forward to provide the necessary finance. In the book, the outcome of research commissioned by the French electricity regulator, author François Lévêque, law and economics professor at the elite 'École des Mines' in Paris, and a team of researchers and specialists look at the extent to which investment is reaching the level required to respond to public interests and also the necessary conditions and possible solutions for achieving sufficiently large and sustainable funding for electricity generators and distributors and coordination of their complementary business.
(FRo)
*** MARINE MOGUEN-TOURSEL (Ed.): Stratégies d'entreprise et action publique dans l'Europe intégrée (1950-1980) - Firm Strategies and Public Policy in Integrated Europe (1950-1980). Affrontement et apprentissage des acteurs - Confrontation and Learning of Economic Actors. Presses Interuniversitaires Européennes - Peter Lang (1 av. Maurice, B-1050 Brussels. E-mail: pie@peterlang.com - Internet: http: //http://www.peterlang.com ). "Euroclio" series, No. 37. 2007, 273 pp, €34-90. ISBN 978-90-5201-045-8.
A lobbyist for industrial interests with national governments and European institutions, historian Marine Moguen-Toursel (University of Paris X Nanterre) naturally edited this collection of essays based on a multi-disciplinary workshop of young researchers held at 'Université catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve' in Belgium in 2003 to study how various stakeholders (businesses, ministries and European institutions( intervened in road transport, telecoms and information technology in the drawing up of the EU's industrial policy from 1950 to 1980. The book of essays in either French or English is divided along three lines. Firstly, how has the extension of European Community powers worked? Secondly, what company strategies were deployed, compared with EU efforts, to free the market and ensure a level playing field? Thirdly, what company strategies were deployed, compared with EU efforts, in the field of research, industrial cooperation, supplies and investment, regional policy and company law with the European grouping of economic interests and the European limited company, European companies created with the critical mass making it possible for them to resist competition from outside Europe, etc? Through these three issues, the authors look at how new p8blic regulations were perceived by companies and how companies reacted to the new frameworks governing their business, particularly when it comes to changes in strategies and innovations.
(MT)
*** Chroniques patronales. Choix de textes rédigés au fil du temps par Jean-François Cavin. Centre Patronal (2 route du Lac, case postale 1215, CH-1001 Lausanne. Tel.: (41-21) 7963300 - Fax: 7963311 - E-mail: info@centrepatronal.ch - Internet: http://www.centrepatronal.ch ). "Etudes et Enquêtes" series, No. 37. 2007, 186 pp, CHF 22. ISBN 2-940089-19-1.
The aim of this book published by the 'Centre Patronal suisse' is to pay tribute to a man who worked for the centre from 1966 and managed it from 1984 onwards. The book takes the form of 68 articles by Jean-François Cavin on subjects like economic theories, the future of partnership with the trade unions, changes in the world of work, the future of social security and the huge challenges of health and training. An entire sectin of the book looks at Switzerland's role at the heart of Europe.
(Bo)
*** JEAN-MARIE SERMIER: Réforme de l'OCM fruits et légumes: donner de la force aux producteurs. Délégation pour l'Union européenne de l'Assemblée nationale (Boutique de l'Assemblée nationale, 7 rue Aristide Briand, F-75007 Paris. Tel.: (33-1) 40630033 - Internet: http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr ). "Documents d'information" series, No. 3748. 2007, 47 pp, €3-50. ISBN 978-2-11-122052-2.
This newsletter analyses the reform of various fruit and vegetable markets in Europe put forward by the European Commission, along with the backdrop to the policies. The French parliamentarian who wrote the newsletter stresses the weaknesses of the farm markets in question and points out that in some areas (crisis management and the separating off of aid from production volumes) the Commission will have to change its ideas to allow farmers to implement a coherent and effective market regulation policy.
(PBo)
*** PHILIPPE-ARMAND MARTIN: Europe du vin: le choix de la compétitivité. Délégation pour l'Union européenne de l'Assemblée nationale (see abive). "Documents d'information", series No. 3643. 2007, 85 pp, €3-50. ISBN 978-2-11-121862-8.
In this newsletter, French parliamentarian Philippe-Armand Martin analyses the background to the crisis facing the wine-making industry and the reform of the European wine-making industry put forward by the European Commission. He backs the idea of an EU 'common organisation' of the wine market based on competitiveness, arguing that the EU will not be able to win the globalisation battle without making producers responsible and learning to use it competitors' weapons without giving up its own traditions when these traditions are a strength.
(PBo)