The Choice for Europe - (Cornell Studies in Political Economy) by Andrew Moravcsik

About the Book

The creation of the European Community ranks among the most extraordinary achievements in modern world politics. Observers disagree, however, about the reasons why European governments have chosen to coordinate core economic policies and surrender...

Book Synopsis

The creation of the European Community ranks among the most extraordinary achievements in modern world politics. Observers disagree, however, about the reasons why European governments have chosen to coordinate core economic policies and surrender sovereign prerogatives. In this eagerly awaited book, Andrew Moravcsik analyzes the history of the region's movement toward economic and political union.Do these unifying steps demonstrate the preeminence of national security concerns, the power of federalist ideals, the skill of political entrepreneurs like Jean Monnet and Jacques Delors, or the triumph of technocratic planning? Moravcsik rejects such views. Economic interdependence has been, he maintains in his provocative argument, the primary force compelling these democracies to move in this surprising direction. Politicians rationally pursued national economic advantage through the exploitation of asymmetrical interdependence and the manipulation of institutional commitments. Focusing on Germany, France, and Britain, Moravcsik examines the five decisive agreements that propelled integration forward. He seeks to reintegrate the historical study of European unity with theoretical inquiry into the sources of international cooperation.

Review Quotes

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.

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.

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.

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.

About the Author

Andrew Moravcsik is Professor of Politics and Director of the European Union Program at Princeton University. He is the author most recently of Europe without Illusions.