Review by Choice Review
Tsoukalis's varied academic experience infuses his analysis with British skepticism, the perspectives of Greece and other less-developed country members of the EC, and the European view of students and faculty colleagues. Moreover, Tsoukalis adopts a political-economic viewpoint and addresses the book "to the student of European and international economics who hopefully does not believe that economics takes place in a political vacuum." Rather than presenting chapters devoted to particular EC policies (as does Theodore Hitiris, European Community Economics, 2nd ed., 1991), Tsoukalis uses political-economic issues as chapter subjects (e.g., "1992 Why and How?" and "The External Dimension"). The author is most successful in interweaving politics, economics, and history. He is least successful in the chapter titled "Liberalization and Regulation," which plods through the important issues of a set of EC-wide product health and safety standards to replace existing individual member-country standards. Particularly useful to the knowledgeable reader are the introductory, context-setting remarks by the author at the beginning of each of the ten chapters. Tsoukalis writes engagingly, with occasional wit, and he uses data and empirical studies to support his contentions and conclusions. The book contains an index and references. It is more interestingly written but less useful as a textbook than Hitiris's work. Thus, general readers and academic specialists will find the book intriguing and instructive, and students will find it worthwhile supplementary reading.-R. L. Lucier, Denison University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
