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Home > Spain > Barcelona > Programs > Program Overview > Course Requirements > Course Description
Economics: The Political Economy of European Integration
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)
Barcelona, Spain
| Subject Area(s) |
Level(s) |
Instruction in |
Credits |
Contact Hours |
Prerequisites |
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Economics, Political Science
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300
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English
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3
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45
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N/A
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THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION
Number of sessions: 30
Length of each session: 1,5 h
Total length of the module: 45 hours
INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE
This course will introduce students to the main issues of economics and politics of
European integration by using an economic approach. The course addresses key
economic questions that arise from the process of integration. This course draws on a
core textbook, articles from journals and other documents. Student will be oriented in
the most up to date policy discussion about European integration. By the end, students
will be able to apply and relate conceptual and theoretical knowledge underpinning the
course of the economic and political process of European integration,
CONTENT
1- Geography & History of European Union (EU).
2- Institutions and budget: EU laws and legitimacy in EU decision making.
3- Basic macroeconomics tools: open economics, tariffs and import protections.
Case study: The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)
4- State aid: competition, mergers and antitrust policies. Case study: Microsoft.
5- Growth effects and factor market integration
6- The effects of integration: labor integration
7- Labor productivity: Europe vs. US
8- European migration flows 1950-2000
9- European imbalances: core-periphery structure. The EU regional policies
10- The spatial distribution of activities across the European Union
11- Regional imbalances and convergence process
12- The effects of integration: capital integration.
13- Monetary integration: history, choice of an exchange regime
14- The European Monetary System.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Basic textbook:
Baldwin, R. and Ch. Wyplosz (2006): Economics of European Integration, 2nd Edition,
Mc Graw Hill.
Other References
H. Badinger (2005): “ Growth effects of economic integration: evidence form the EU
Member States”, Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv, vol. 141 (1), pp. 50-78.
R. Barro and X. Sala-i-Martin (1992): “Convergence”, Journal of Political Economics,
vol. 100(2), pp. 223-251.
T. Boeri and H Brücker (2005): “Why are Europeans so tough on migrants”, Economic
Policy, vol 44, October, pp 629-703.
P. Combes and H. Overman (2003): “The spatial distribution of economic activity in the
EU”, in J.F. Thisse and V. Henderson (eds) Handbook of Urbam and Regional
Economics, vol. 4, North-Holland Amsterdam.
D.W. Jorgenston, M.S. Ho and K.J. Stirah (2008): “ A Retrospective Look at the US
Productivity Growth Resurgence”, Journal of Economic Perspective, vol. 22(1),
pp. 3-24.
R. Inklaar, M.P. Timmer and B. van Ark (2008): “Market Service Productivity across
Europe and the US”, Economic Policy, January, vol. 53, pp.139-194.
Ph. Monfort and R. Nicolini (2000): “ Regional Convergence and International
Integration”, Journal of Urban Economics, vol. 48, pp. 286-306.
B. van Ark, M. O’Mahoney,and M.P. Timmer (2008): “The Productivity Gap between
Europe and the United States: Trends and Causes”, Journal of Economic
Perspective, vol. 22(1), pp. 25-44.
Other hand-outs will be given, if necessary.
GRADING
There will be NO final exam. The assessment will be based on:
50% Individual course work and presentation
40% Problem sets to be handed out
10% Participation
Students are required to attend classes and hand out three problem sets. A copy of
the slides presented in class can be download from the course website.
In addition, each student will be also required to write a short report on a selected topic
(among those we discussed in class) and, then, make a short presentation about it.
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