Building a dynamic Europe: the key policy debates

Half-title......Page 2
Title......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Contents......Page 6
Figures......Page 7
Tables......Page 8
Contributors......Page 9
Acknowledgements......Page 10
Introduction......Page 12
Introduction......Page 18
The success of Europe......Page 20
Challenges ahead......Page 22
The Laeken declaration and the Convention......Page 23
The fundamental tradeoff in European governance......Page 27
Comparative politics and economic analysis......Page 30
Tradeoffs between presidential and parliamentary regimes in the context of Europe......Page 33
A parliamentary model for Europe......Page 34
A presidential model for Europe......Page 36
Comparing the parliamentary and the presidential models......Page 40
A president elected by national parliaments......Page 42
Results from a counterfactual exercise......Page 43
A comparison with existing proposals......Page 46
Conclusion......Page 47
References......Page 48
Introduction......Page 50
Childhood......Page 53
Employment and income security......Page 57
Sick-leave insurance and health care......Page 63
Pensions and old-age care......Page 69
Concluding remarks......Page 74
References......Page 78
Introduction......Page 81
Reforming network utilities......Page 83
Regulation......Page 84
Restructuring and ownership separation......Page 86
Synergies of vertical integration......Page 87
Efficient restructuring choices......Page 91
The problem of transition to the new structure......Page 92
Unbundling, risk and contracts......Page 93
Sustaining effective competition over networks......Page 94
Reforming the Electricity and Gas Directives......Page 95
Opening the gas market......Page 96
Reforming electricity markets......Page 100
Regulating wholesale markets......Page 101
Market power and market fragmentation......Page 105
Avoiding Californian-style crises......Page 107
Conclusions......Page 108
References......Page 109
Introduction......Page 111
Co-ordination when the ‘houses are in order’......Page 113
The political economy of co-ordination......Page 115
Meetings between the ECB and the eurogroup......Page 116
Multiple fiscal authorities......Page 118
Equilibrium inflation rates and the Balassa–Samuelson effect......Page 119
Ireland......Page 120
How to adjust when adjustment is needed?......Page 121
Should current account imbalances within the euro area be a source of concern?......Page 126
Is benign neglect the optimal policy response?......Page 128
Improving the Growth and Stability Pact through a proper accounting of public investment......Page 131
Reforming the voting rules on the Council of the ECB......Page 134
Summary......Page 135
References......Page 137
Introduction......Page 138
The integration policy of the EU in banking......Page 139
Are EU banking markets integrated?......Page 146
Conduct, structure and performance in EU banking markets......Page 158
Concluding remarks......Page 169
References......Page 172
Index......Page 175