The Choice for Europe: Social Purpose and State Power from Messina to Maastricht - Softcover

Moravcsik, Andrew

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1857281926 ISBN 13: 9781857281927

Publisher: Routledge, 1998

Synopsis

The author analyzes the history of movement towards European economic and political union. He argues that politicians have rationally pursued national economic advantage through the exploitation of asymmetrical interdependence.

About this title

Review

"This will become one of the most widely-used and authoritative sources on the politics and progress of integration in Europe. Moravcsik is well-known to EU specialists as one of the foremost theorists in the field. . . . An extremely good political history of European integration . . . which has strong claim to being the definitive work. . . . Given its length and detailed content and its masterly authorship . . . this volume will further Moravcsik's reputation as a contender to being the foremost analyst of integration in Europe."―Australian Journal of European Integration

"Moravcsik's brilliant book is, and will remain for a long time, one of the standard works on the subject. It is clearly a must for everyone seriously engaged in the debates of the discipline. . . . A masterpiece. . . . The depth of discussion and the treatment of the rich empirical material are truly exceptional and its analytical rigor is razor-sharp. . . . Moravcsik's book is an enriching and splendid intellectual operation."―International Affairs

"Few books are as clearly argued as Andrew Moravcsik's. . . . His analytical presentation is carefully articulated, his presentation of historical material is meticulous and his conclusions are at the same time provocative and well-grounded in existing debates. Simply, his is a book that is bound to generate useful controversy even among those who know very little about the intricacies of integration theory beforehand. Moravscik has succeeded not only in creating a touchstone for contemporary theorizing about Europe, but also in providing perhaps the best course book for advanced undergraduate and graduate students interested in European affairs. . . . At the same time, and perhaps more important, Moravscik may inspire a new generation of students to take the study of Europe as seriously as they take the subject matter."―Eric Jones, Governance

"Andrew Moravcsik, in this work of rich insights and cogent case studies,deserves complements for illuminating the 'grand bargains' that have forged and developed the European Community (now European Union). This work is a distinguished contribution to thinking about these paramount events in contemporary Europe. Moravcsik has performed a laudable feat by skillfully weaving the themes of nation-state decision formation with domestic socioeconomic variables, thereby enriching our comprehension about these frontier-shattering experiments in transnational co-operation. . . . The book is consistently interesting, stimulating, and intellectually challenging."―Pierre-Henry Lauren, International History Review

"The Choice for Europe is a testament to Moravcsik's abilities. Not only does Moravcsik present a credible description of his representation of European integration, but he does so by integrating the forces of an interdependent global economy and the relative power of states within this system. While engaging with some of the specifics of European integration, Moravcsik's discussion presents a solid contribution to International Relations theory. The Choice for Europe is a major addition to the canon of European integration theory."―Ben Mueller, Canadian Journal of Political Science

"The most important work in the field since Alan Millard's The Reconstruction of Western Europe, 1945–1951, and the most ambitious interpretation of its subject yet written. Moravcsik has returned economics to the forefront of the history of European integration. He has mastered a vast, multilingual secondary literature. . . He courageously challenges the conventional wisdom on virtually every issue, and succeeds in debunking the tired claims of the memoirists that a handful of international technocrats created the New Europe."―William I. Hitchcock, American Historical Review

"This is one of the most important books and probably the most ambitious one on the history and theory of European Integration which has been published in the 1990s. . . . The importance of the book is beyond doubt. Rarely have the core questions of European integration been presented in such a thought-provoking way, and it is extremely instructive to come to terms with Moravcsik's arguments even if one does not share the interpretation."―Dr. Hubert Zimmerman. Journal of European Integration History

"This is an excellent book which uses a wide range of new empirical materials about the major decision points in the development of the European Union, and shows a mastery of the relevant theories and of the process of theorizing. Under both headings it is innovative and sophisticated, and deserves to be regarded as a major, even masterly contribution."―Nations and Nationalism

"Moravcsik's book is a purely retrospective study (and all the better for it), examining why sovereign governments in Europe have repeatedly chosen to coordinate their core economic policies and surrender sovereign prerogatives within an international institution. . . . The case argued by Moravcsik is powerful, well buttressed by evidence, and weighty. . . . This is an original and challenging account of European integration."―Adam Robbers, Times Literary Supplement

"Andrew Moravcsik has written a densely documented, well argued, intelligent, and aggressive book."―West European Politics

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 1857281926
• ISBN 13: 9781857281927
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 532