Over the last twenty years, fifteen Western European nations have removed                  most barriers to trade and migration, as well as most forms of national                  discrimination in economic and social exchange. Some have also given up their                  national currency and their ability to conduct independent monetary and fiscal                  policy. Opinion on the future of structural reform in the European Union tends to                  fall into two camps. One side argues that the single market and monetary union will                  make it more difficult to carry out badly needed structural reforms. The other side                  contends that, as monetary policy is decided elsewhere, countries will have more                  resources to concentrate on structural concerns.Welfare and Employment in a United                  Europe takes a nuanced approach to the issues. Unusual for an edited volume, it                  consists of two long studies--each written by a group of economists working in four                  different countries of the European Union--followed by commentary. The first study                  suggests that social reform can be achieved without strengthening European Union                  institutions and should entail limited international redistribution. The second                  suggests that, although liberalization of product and labor markets offers                  substantial benefits, there is no guarantee that the European Monetary Union will                  result in fewer product market restrictions or less employment                  protection.Contributors Charles Bean, Giuseppe Bertola, Olivier Blanchard, Tito                  Boeri, G?sta Esping-Andersen, Robert Haffner, Juan Jimeno, Ramon Marimon, Steve                  Nickell, Giuseppe Nicoletti, Christopher Pissarides, Andr? Sapir, Stefano Scarpetta,                  Gylfi Zoega.

Welfare and Employment in a United Europe: A Study for the Fondazione Rdolofo Debenedetti PDF

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