EuroInternet: the world wide web virtual library for European integration.  Internet Resource. Reviewed in 2001dec CHOICE
http://eiop.or.at/euroint/
39-2413

Well organized and up-to-date, this Web site provides a comprehensive collection of Internet resources for all aspects of European integration. Its major links include journals, books, conference papers, search engines, all official institutions of the European Union, nongovernmental organizations, research institutes, and specialized institutions in various countries. The quality and reliability of the links are consistently high. Researchers will especially appreciate the helpful organization of the material by subject (e.g., environment, agriculture, regional policy) and the excellent database. Based on ERPA (European Research Papers Archive), the database is continuously updated and includes working papers in the field of European integration research. With its broad scope and impressive inclusion of links to virtually any aspect of European integration as well as to the numerous official structures of the European Union, this resource will be of great value to undergraduate and graduate students searching for an overview of the many facets of this complex institution. For instance, there is even a link to “Eurosceptics”–providing a lively sampling of the variety and extent of reservations and objections to regional integration in Europe. Scholars and other professionals will especially appreciate some of the subcategories, which include Writings; Research Institutions; Teaching; For Political Scientists; Databases and Documents; Newsgroups and Lists; Events and Conferences; Area-Specific Information; Collections; and New Suggestions. EuroInternet provides a high-quality and reliable site that complements the official Web sites of the European Union: Europa <http://europa.eu/index_en.htm>; and European Union in the United States <http://www.eurunion.org/>.  All collections. — P. Vannicelli, University of Massachusetts at Boston

Europa.  Internet Resource.  Reviewed in 1997sup CHOICE.
http://europa.eu/index_en.htm
34SUP-163

Europa presents a convenient, straightforward guide to the European Union and its constituent bodies. There are buttons throughout for multilingual selections in five languages (English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish) with more to be added. The site is composed of four basic files: “ABC” (with a statement of objectives, outline of institutions, and answers to basic questions); “News” (official communiques and press releases); “Institutions” (the most comprehensive file, with numerous links to principal governmental organizations and files, as well as full-text enabling statutes); and “Policies” (short summary statements on leading issues). A virtual visit (in French and Italian) to EU headquarters is also provided. Weight of documentation lies in full-text press releases from EU bodies (which are not legally authoritative). Full texts of important decisions or judgments unfortunately are not given, though sources for EU publications and ordering information are noted. Each EU organization has its own home page, and there are links to Idea (an institutional directory); WWW servers in EU offices around the world; governments online (with official Web servers in EU countries); and links in some instances to individuals and academics with expertise in various EU countries. This server is undergoing rapid development and change. Statistical data, though listed, are largely not present.  Europa is easy to navigate, though somewhat complex if the user want to find all available files. This authoritative source is flexible, easy to use, and frequently updated. Useful for anyone wanting information on the European Union. — M. O. Shannon, CUNY Herbert H. Lehman College

Europe 2030, ed. by Daniel Benjamin.  Brookings, 2010.  155p index afp; ISBN 9780815702801  pbk, $10.95. Reviewed in 2010dec CHOICE.
48-2321  JN30  2009-52537 CIP 

The Europe proposed in Europe 2030 is, by and large, not at all the political, monetary, economic, and social union once imagined. To be sure, foreseeing the future is an inexact endeavor, but the contributors here draw on rich and disparate sources of information to construct insightful alternative images for EU evolution. Some articles are indeed bleak, as in former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer’s description of the development of the political union as not more than a “hamster on a wheel.” Of particular interest are Joseph Weiler’s contribution on the success of Europe despite the failure of the European constitution and Jonathan Lawrence’s argument on the likelihood of Islamic moderation through member state citizenship extension. Others imagine EU expansion and international relations. The one criticism of this otherwise excellent volume is the lack of a reflective introduction or conclusion. Without understanding the charge for the contributors, each essay stands individually as a singular glimpse into the future. Whether that was by design or not, it leaves the reader wondering if each vision should be taken on its own or if the essays should be considered as a composite vision, reflecting, ironically, contested and disparate visions for the EU. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate, graduate, and research collections. — R. A. Harper, York College 

The European Union and the Global South, ed. by Fredrik Söderbaum  and Patrik Staålgren.  L. Rienner, 2010.  319p index afp; ISBN 9781588263018, $63.00.  Outstanding Title! Reviewed in 2010sep CHOICE.
48-0508  JZ1570  2009-26978 CIP 

This outstanding book provides a comprehensive, comparative analysis of EU foreign policy behavior.  Söderbaum and Staålgren (both, Univ. of Göteborg, Sweden) make a unique contribution to the field of comparative political economy by assembling a volume that allows for cross-regional comparisons of the EU as a global actor. The book deploys a sophisticated theoretical framework to analyze the EU’s policy toward the Global South across three issue areas–trade, development, and security–and across three regions: Asia, Africa, and Latin America. It offers a wealth of empirical information on EU development aid and bilateral economic aid programs of individual EU member states. This exceptionally well-researched volume is divided into five parts. Part 1 summarizes the EU’s Foreign Policy Complex, part 2 discusses the differences between EU economic cooperation with Africa and the EU-Asia partnership, part 3 examines the growing role of the EU in Latin America, and part 4 analyzes the EU’s failure to play an active role in conflict management in sub-Saharan Africa. The concluding chapter argues that the EU’s policy toward the Global South is multifaceted, with different issues and subjects receiving different emphases among regions. A useful addition to Mario Telo’s European Union and New Regionalism (2007).  Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate and above. — M. E. Carranza, Texas A&M University—Kingsville

Giddens, Anthony.  Europe in the global age.  Polity, 2007.  246p index ISBN 0-7456-4011-7, $49.95; ISBN 0745640125  pbk, $19.95; ISBN 9780745640112, $49.95; ISBN 9780745640129  pbk, $19.95. Reviewed in 2008feb CHOICE.
45-3437  HN373   MARC 

Has globalization changed the European social model? Tepid growth, unemployment, overtaxed social welfare systems, and European Union regional integration angst have collided with what Giddens (Kings College, Cambridge, UK) has defined as a complex set of social processes and forces. These processes and forces constitute globalization, and they have set in motion a state of affairs called the global age. No scholar is better suited than Giddens to address the economic and social policy identified with the European model and to assess policy reform. He argues that there is today an ongoing struggle for Europe and in a way, its very soul. The author evaluates the European model while assessing reform policies on a comparative basis. The volume also takes a hard look at the impact of globalization on social justice, welfare, and lifestyle. Concern about the predatory influence of global capital and potential social exclusion, loss of security, and expanding poverty may be offset by intelligent reform. Giddens makes an effort to inform the intelligent design of policy that can sustain the European model while creating more opportunity. The author closes with eight theses on Europe’s future and offers a profound scholarly voice to an increasingly serious and frantic conversation. Summing Up: Essential. Graduate students, faculty, and practitioners. — A. R. Brunello, Eckerd College 

Ginsberg, Roy H.  Demystifying the European Union: the enduring logic of regional integration.  2nd ed.  Rowman & Littlefield, 2010.  397p index afp; ISBN 9780742566910, $85.00. Reviewed in 2010oct CHOICE.
48-1107  JN30  2009-53022 CIP 

Currently, the EU is confronted with dramatic financial challenges testing the endurance of its foundations. While some may question the prospects of a stable EU and even foresee disintegration, the logic underpinning its regional integration endures. Ginsberg (Skidmore College) offers a comprehensive overview of the EU along with a wealth of informative charts and tables as well as thought-provoking study questions that ultimately underscore the enduring logic of regional integration in this easily accessible, detailed-oriented second edition of a textbook designed for students taking courses on European integration. Bound by shared geography, history, religions, economy, and civilization, the EU is not an accident of history but a history of dialectical unity and disunity. Accordingly, the comprehensive overview begins with a historical perspective of the EU that spans 2,000 years and then turns to the political thought and political theory associated with European integration. In addition to examining the legal and economic foundations of the EU, the volume, from a policy-making perspective, continues with a detailed explanation of the decision-making processes and the relevant political institutions and concludes with a discussion and assessment of policy outcomes. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers, upper-division undergraduate students, and graduate students. — A. E. Wohlers, Cameron University

Lynn, Matthew.  Bust: Greece, the euro, and the sovereign debt crisis.  Bloomberg, 2011.  282p index; ISBN 9780470976111, $27.95; ISBN 9781119994411 e-book, $27.95. Reviewed in 2011jun CHOICE.
48-5802  HB3807  2010-42208 CIP 

Books on economics and international finance rarely provide an exciting, gripping read. Lynn, financial writer and commentator for Bloomberg Television, has produced such an exception in this volume, which combines careful analysis, astute observation, and ample evidence to support the author’s conclusion. He addresses the question, will the euro and the European Union survive the Greek debt crisis? In the opening chapter, Lynn describes a moment of the European Central Bank’s self-congratulation in early January 2009 over the success of the euro ten years after its founding. In the final chapter, he describes the world economy after dissolution of the euro. In between, Lynn discusses how Greece, through subterfuge and unwarranted optimism of Europe’s establishment, gained admission into the common currency; the fundamental incompatibility of the economies of southern and northern European countries; repeated desperate attempts in 2010 to calm financial markets by supporting Greek debt; the disconnect between French and German objectives toward political as well as economic union; and the inevitable spread of market instability to other members of the single currency. Only time will tell if the author’s prognostications are correct. A timely addition to the literature on European economics. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers; students, upper-division and up; faculty; professionals. — E. L. Whalen, formerly, Clarke College

Marján, Attila.  Europe’s destiny: the old lady and the bull, tr. by Péter Szücs.  Woodrow Wilson Center/Johns Hopkins, 2010.  393p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780801895487  pbk, $30.00; ISBN 9780801895470, $60.00.  Outstanding Title! Reviewed in 2010oct CHOICE.
48-0993  HC240  2009-54218 CIP 

This is an insightful, accessible examination of the condition of the European Union at one of the most crucial moments in its history. The EU has always been perceived as being between “Europhoria” and “Euroscepticism,” and Marján shows how this is still the case. He provides excellent treatment of the conflicts between the federalist and functionalist, right and left, and free market and social welfare visions of Europe. In the present situation, the EU is dominated by issues such as immigration, an aging population, competitiveness, energy, and challenges from rising economies in Asia and Latin America. Internal cohesion and the sense of what it is to have a true union of European nations are issues of growing divisiveness. It is the discussion of these challenges that makes this book so useful.  Marján offers ten recommendations for Europe’s future and concludes that the model of a network, with a core of Brussels and a tight monetary and political union surrounded by subregional centers, is most probable. The EU’s inability to act decisively in a timely manner on pressing challenges has never been more obvious than it is in the current economic crisis. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All collections and readership levels. — P. K. Kresl, emeritus, Bucknell University

Marsh, David.  The euro: the politics of the new global currency.  Yale, 2009.  340p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780300127300, $35.00.  Outstanding Title! Reviewed in 2009oct CHOICE.
47-0979  HG930  2008-47960 CIP 

This is a remarkable work. Written by a leading London financier, this comprehensive history provides an insider’s perspective on the actors and negotiations leading to the creation and operation of the euro, the common currency of most of western and central Europe. The author’s command of the sources is very impressive. Marsh (chairman, London & Oxford Capital Markets) has interviewed a long list of central bankers, political leaders, top financial officials, and career diplomats who negotiated the torturous path from the collapse of the Bretton Woods agreement to the adolescence of the euro. These personal recollections, complemented by a wealth of archival sources and printed documents, make for fascinating reading and strengthen the author’s insights and conclusions. German officials stand front and center in Marsh’s analysis, imposing a hard-money euro in the image of their beloved deutsche mark. Franco-German relations, a favorite theme of Europeanists, are ably explored. Ending with the financial crisis of 2008, Marsh is equivocal regarding the euro’s long-term prospects, reflecting perhaps Britain’s devotion to financial independence and the City of London. This is a fundamental work, which will be of interest to a broad audience. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers, upper-division undergraduate students, graduate students, and research faculty. — J. P. McKay, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Risse, Thomas.  A community of Europeans?: transnational identities and public spheres.  Cornell, 2010.  287p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780801446634, $65.00; ISBN 9780801476488  pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2011mar CHOICE.
48-4102  HM753  2009-47395 CIP 
 
Risse (international politics, Freie Univ. Berlin) explores the phenomena of European identity, its expression in the public sphere (as defined by Habermas), and its political impact on the European Union. Defining Europeanization as the “domestic impact of Europe and European integration,” he considers these issues from the perspectives of citizens and elites, drawing on recent scholarship, extensive survey data, and statistical analysis. The data reveal that, with considerable variation by country and demographics, a majority of Europeans express some degree of identification with Europe, and that the most significant divide in public opinion is between “inclusive nationalists,” who identify with their nation first and Europe second, and “exclusive nationalists,” who identify with their nation only. Risse argues for the existence of a Europeanized public sphere where matters of common concern such as the EU constitution and enlargement, immigration, and the economic and financial crisis are debated. He believes that the politicization of these issues, framed in part by two different concepts of Europe–a liberal “modern Europe” committed to the European project, and a “nationalist Europe” focused on an exclusively European Christian heritage–can strengthen, not sink, European integration. Collections in contemporary Europe, the EU, and national identity. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. — A. H. Plunkett, Piedmont Virginia Community College 

Rosato, Sebastian.  Europe united: power politics and the making of the European Community.  Cornell, 2011.  265p index afp; ISBN 9780801449352, $35.00. Reviewed in 2011sep CHOICE.
49-0518  JZ1570  2010-25714 CIP 

In this important work, Rosato (Univ. of Notre Dame) attempts to explain European integration since 1945 in realist (balance of power) terms. Rosato’s thorough examination of the diplomatic and archival record shows that, facing an adversary with an overwhelming military superiority (the USSR), Western European leaders saw the need to form a centralized balancing coalition able to deter the USSR even without US help (although NATO provided useful protection while the coalition was assembled). In this way, Rosato aims to help realism develop a theory of international institutions. With respect to alternative explanations, he finds that pressure from business interests for economic integration was no stronger in this period than in earlier ones that did not produce integration. Ideational transformation away from the folly of nationalism and war, as argued by Robert Kagan, Jeremy Rifkin, and others, is, Rosato says, flatly contradicted by the facts: “Today’s Europe is the direct product of traditional balance of power thinking.” Given the lack of any serious threat to European security today, Rosato predicts no further integration and probably an unraveling of the Eurozone and even the EU itself in the years to come. Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates and above. — M. F. Farrell, Ripon College

Sociology of the European Union, ed. by Adrian Favell and Virginie Guiraudon.  Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.  266p bibl index; ISBN 9780230207110, $105.00; ISBN 9780230207127  pbk, $35.00. Reviewed in 2011oct CHOICE.
49-1185  HN373  2011-3957 MARC 

Sociologists have been slow to enter the field of European studies, especially as it relates to the impact of the European Union, leaving it mainly to political scientists and economists and, to a lesser extent, historians. This volume is therefore welcome as much for defining a sociological perspective on the field as for the range of particular studies it includes–on stratification, social and spatial mobility, identity, politics and policies, social movements, and the social theory of European integration. Sociology, as the editors point out, has historically been mostly concerned with the formation and development of the nation-state; hence, “Europeanization”–the possible emergence of a distinctively regional European society with its own traits and attributes–is a challenge to the discipline. So far, sociologists have usually seen Europeanization as a derivative or dependent of the more wide-ranging processes of globalization. But Europe should be seen as having its own specific character, with its own history and traditions, which cannot simply be relegated to the rubric of globalization. This volume shows that in a compelling way. For advanced students and scholars in sociology, politics, European studies. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. — K. Kumar, University of Virginia

Versluis, Esther.  Analyzing the European Union policy process, Esther Versluis, Mendeltje van Keulen, and Paul Stephenson.  Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.  264p bibl index; ISBN 9780230245990, $105.00; ISBN 9780230246003  pbk, $40.00. Reviewed in 2011jul CHOICE.
48-6546  JN30   MARC 
 
As a supranational institution, the EU has become increasingly significant. In response, scholarly activity aimed at explaining the EU’s political and economic integration, the changing and expanding nature of its political institutions, and the increasingly complicated nature of policy making in Brussels has intensified. Aware of the many research areas in this scholarly field, Versluis (Maastricht Univ., Netherlands), van Keulen (parliamentary EU advisor, Netherlands House of Representatives), and Stephenson (Maastricht Univ.) offer a particularly engaging and comprehensive study that allows readers to understand how policy processes unfold within the EU. By discussing EU policy making structured by the relevant institutional framework, introducing the European policy processes within the context of the policy making cycle, and consistently relying on the Tobacco Advertising Directive as an example of a specific policy issue throughout the chapters, this book offers research tools and analytical insights to grasp the EU policy making processes. Accordingly, the information-rich chapters, packed with very useful tables, illustrations, and context-specific examples, discuss the conceptual and theoretical underpinnings of policy and highlight the institutional structures and regulatory instruments associated with the EU. Within the context of the policy making cycle, the remaining chapters focus on EU policy making, beginning with agenda setting and concluding with policy evaluation. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above. — A. E. Wohlers, Cameron University 

Warner, Carolyn M.  The best system money can buy: corruption in the European Union.  Cornell, 2007.  256p index afp; ISBN 978080144552 , $29.95.  Outstanding Title! Reviewed in 2008mar CHOICE.
45-4028  JN94  2007-10664 CIP 

This is a well-documented, well-written book that presents an often-overlooked side of European Union integration–widespread corruption and failed accountability by politicians and private sector entrepreneurs. Warner’s definition of corruption here includes bribery, kickbacks, and extortion among politicians, bureaucrats, and firms. Through detailed case studies, Warner (Arizona State) shows how politicians and companies resort to corruption to cheat the system of increased competition in the single market. Collusion between politicians, local law enforcement officials, and firms attempts to take advantage of the current void in the system of enforcement of EU regulations, partially caused by the harmonization process at the local level. Examples include numerous privatization schemes and export promotion efforts that seem to institutionalize bribery in many member states. The book is divided into eight chapters that cover such topics as corruption, privatization, decentralization and democracy, political party financing, and the EU in the international political economy. Appendixes include an important list of key victims of corruption and a brief survey of the EU and its institutions. Overall, this book is an important addition to the literature on regional integration in Europe. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels. — B. A. Yesilada, Portland State University

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