Review by Choice Review
A group of US scholars address the future of the European Community (EC) from a political science perspective. Given their special interest in integration and neofunctionalist theories, contributors draw interesting parallels between EC stages of development and fluctuations in the level of interest in integration theory. They question the conventional judgment that the EC lost all momentum in the 1970s. Their alternative view is that it was a decade in which the development of EC political institutions was accomplished laying the foundation for successful implementation of the Single European Act (SEA) since 1987. Using game theory and integrationist concepts to predict future outcomes, they conclude that there will be continued progress toward European union in the years ahead, provided that the principle of subsidiarity is invoked to uphold the interests of local and national governmental authorities vis-`a-vis the central agencies of the EC. Chapters on security and defense implications of the SEA are well informed and, drawing on history and social science theory, a chapter on "Fortress Europe" outlines five reasons to expect that the EC will adopt protectionist economic policies as it gains authority as a major force in global politics. For readers with background in political science, policy studies, international affairs, and international economics. Advanced undergraduate through professional. G. T. Potter; emeritus, Ramapo College of New Jersey
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
