The Political Economy of European Banking Union
By David Howarth and Lucia Quaglia
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Recommended by Malcolm Campbell-Verduyn
Two leading political economists scrutinize the European Banking Union, focusing specifically on why this major leap in regional financial integration was initiated in response to rather than in order to prevent the eurozone crisis. The original argument and rich empirical support make this book a major contribution to our understanding of European economic governance.
La région, de l’identité à la citoyenneté
By Armand Frémont and Yves Guermond (eds.)
Publisher: Hermann
Recommended by Hélène B. Ducros
This book emerges in the aftermath of a major regional reconfiguration in France resulting from the application of governmental territorial reforms effective in 2016. Emanating out of a research group of geographers concerned with the case of Normandy as a region, the volume reflects broader interdisciplinary exchanges that took place in June 2015 at a conference which focused on a more general theorization of key concepts pertinent beyond geography. In this edited volume, behind the question–What is a region?–surfaces another: What (and who) makes a region? The contributors address both inquiries in their spatial and historical dimensions. Collectively, they delve into the debated notions of territory, nation, pays, city, metropole, or network. They also examine the relationship between urbanity and rurality and the role of democracy and citizen engagement in the making of regional identity. By envisaging the future of the region in the context of globalization and the European Union in particular, the book is well-timed and relevant to the understanding of region-making elsewhere. Although the book is in French, it ought not to be overlooked as the collection of texts constitutes a significant overview of the regional question that opens the way for further research on the dynamics, stakes and pitfalls of the regional project.
Europe As a Stronger Global Actor
By Simon Duke
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Recommended by Daniela Irrera
EU foreign policy, as well as the EU’s ability to play a role in a global arena, is at the core of an intense debate that has produced hundreds of publications. Simon Duke contributes to this debate in a new, intriguing work, which certainly helps us in these hard times.
In the aftermath of the publication of the new EU Security Strategy by Mogherini, and in front of the toughest crises the EU is facing (terrorism, migration, financial instability), there is a strong need to assess what has been done so far in order not to waste decades of efforts and ambitions.
Published on December 1, 2016.
