Ebook: Convergence Cohesion and Integration in the European Union

Tackling the fundamental theoretical and empirical issues underlying the process of European integration, this book presents two basic arguments. The first is that economic convergence in post-war Europe has reduced the disparities between regions and that this has been an important accelerator of the drive for integration. The second is that, in contrast to the situation before 1985 when the nation states dominated the move to integration, grass-roots pressure and market forces have been the determining factors.