The European Union is an unprecedented form of state. Initially founded to provide
security and promote wealth in Europe, it has become a global economic power and poses a
challenge to the hegemony of the USA and to the increasing might of Russia and China.
Internal divisions, in terms of claims for different varieties of capitalism, in the
European Union are considered, as well as the conflicts that have arisen from enlargement
and foreign policy concerns. Leading specialists on European politics and society reflect
on the nature of consensus and competition between elites, and whether the EU may be able
to provide a sense of common identity and purpose for its citizens. The book will appeal
to students of politics, international relations and sociology and to anyone interested in
current developments in Europe.
ANDREW GAMBLE is Professor of Politics at the University of Cambridge,
UK, and a Fellow of Queens' College. His latest book is The Spectre at the Feast. He is
joint editor of The Political Quarterly and a Fellow of the British Academy.
DAVID LANE is Emeritus Reader in Sociology at the University of
Cambridge, UK. His has recently completed a Leverhulme Trust research project on the
transformation of state socialism. His latest books include Revolution in the Modern World
(co-editor with John Foran and Andreja Zivkovic) and The Transformation of State
Socialism.
Table of Contents
Introduction; A.Gamble & D.Lane
PART I: THE INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT
The United States and the European Union: The End of Hegemony?; A.Gamble
The EU: Divisions and Unity in European External Policies; M.Telo
Russia's Transformation: The Rise of a World Power?; D.Lane
The Implications of the Rise of China; M.Jacques
PART II: DIVISIONS WITHIN EUROPE
Divisions between Elites; G.Lengyel
Divisions between Elites and Citizens; M.Haller
European Elites and the Middle East; R.Hollis
PART III: POLITICAL ECONOMY OF EUROPE
Varieties of Capitalism and Europeanization: National Response Strategies
Revisited; G.Menz
The Primacy of Domestic Politics; O.Holman
National or European Social Models? Contesting European Welfare Futures; B.Clift
European Economic Policy: Protectionism as an Elite Strategy; V.Phuong Mai Le, P.Minford
& E.Nowell
The European Union: A Player in World Energy Politics?; S.Bromley
PART IV: WHITHER THE EUROPEAN UNION?
European Elites on the European Union: What Vision for the Future?; V.Schmidt
Towards a European Identity?; M.Guibernau
320 pages, Hardcover