Towards a New Europe

This volume explores the theoretical value of applying rational choice theory to questions of regional integration. As with other questions of conflict and cooperation in the field of international politics, studies of European integration are divided largely between the realist and liberalist perspectives. Yet neither of these schools of thought aptly explains the dynamics characterizing this process, that is, the major advances in regional integration and the long periods of paralysis. The contributions in this volume work their way from the most general questions and macro-processes down to particular policy problems of the European Union and the micro-foundations of interstate cooperation. The work will be of interest to scholars and policymakers in international relations, international economics, and European studies.

Challenging the prevailing approaches in the field, this volume offers a comprehensive rational choice explanation of regional integration in Europe.

PrefaceExplaining the Stops and Starts in Regional Integration by Gerald Schneider and Patricia WeitsmanTowards a Political Economy of Scale: European Integration and Disintegration by Michael D. Ward and Corey L. LofdahlExpansion or Unity? Placing the European Union in a Historical Perspective by Lars-Erik CedermanSwitzerland--Still a Paradigmatic Case? by Simon Hug and Pascal SciariniPower of the European Parliament as a Conditional Agenda Setter by George TsebelisWider and Deeper: The Links between Expansion and Integration in the European Union by Robert PahreRegional Integration and the Enlargement Issue: A Macroanalysis by Walter MattliChoosing Central Bankers in Europe by Philippe MartinFull Membership or Full Club? Expansion of NATO and the Future Security Organization of Europe by Thomas BernauerTowards a United States of Europe: Future Challenges and Potential Solutions by Gerald Schneider, Patricia Weitsman, and Thomas BernauerReferencesIndex