POL/EC 356

Lecturer: Dr. Giovanni Di Bartolomeo

Classes: Monday (10:00 - 11:50) and  Thursday (12:10 - 13:50)

Course Description: The European Union has now reached a turning point. From the 1st of January 2002, the single currency, the EURO, has substituted the currencies of 13 out of 15 member countries. Moreover, the Union is undergoing a process of enlargement towards the east. Many previously planned economies of Central and East Europe have applied to become members of the European Union. Some of them will join the Union in the near and foreseeable future. During this course, after an introductory part in which the theory of regional integration will be analyzed, we will go through the history of the Union from its foundation in the fifties until the present. Time will be devoted to studying the many different Institutions inside the European Union and their role in enlarging and deepening the Union itself. The effects of the integration process on the goods and the factors of the production market will be analyzed. A closer look at the various policies adopted in different areas will complete the course.

Attendance: Classes meet twice a week, and attendance is expected at all classes. Being late or absent without valid motivation will cause your grade to be lowered. After three unexcused absences, you will be withdrawn from the course.

Requirements: It is required that students read the references suggested for each topic before lectures. This will make it possible to realize interactive lectures stimulating discussions and reflections.

Exam: Exams will be held at mid-term and end of the term. I would also like to ask you for a compulsory paper on a topic to be decided. The deadline for the paper title assignment is the 27th of February 2003. However, earlier discussions with the instructor on the paper's argument are recommended. The deadline for paper submission is the 4th of April 2003.

Assessment: The final grade will be based on the mid-term exam (30%), on regular attendance and participation (10%), on the research paper and its oral presentation (30%), and on the final exam (30%).

Course outline 

• Lecture 1 – Introductory lecture: Theory of economic integration.

• Lecture 2 – History of European Integration. Read Wallace, chap. 6 and handout.

• Lecture 3 – European Union’s institutions and policy process. Read Wallace, chap 1.

• Lecture 4 – The Single Market Act. Read Wallace, chap 4.

• Lecture 5 – Competition policy and European Antitrust. Read Wallace, chap 5.

• Lecture 6 – European trade policy. Read Wallace, chaps 14 and 15.

• Lecture 7 – The common agricultural policy. Deadline for paper assignment. Read Wallace, chap. 7.

• Lecture 8 – Environmental policies. Read Wallace, chap. 11.

• Review Class

• Mid-term exam.

• Lecture 9 – Towards a monetary union. Read Wallace, chap 6.

• Lecture 10 – The European Central Bank and the monetary policy. Read Wallace, chap 6 and handout.

• Lecture 11 – Fiscal policy and the Stability and Growth Pact. Read Wallace chap 8 and the handout.

• Lecture 12 – The labor market and the European unemployment problem. Read Molle and Solow handouts.

• Lecture 13 – Europe and social policy. Deadline for paper submission. Read Wallace, chap 10.

• Lecture 14 – Redistribution: The Cohesion Policy. Read Wallace, chap 9. and chap 10.

• Lecture 15 – Redistribution: Structural and regional policies. Read Wallace, chap 9. and chap 10.

• Lecture 16 – The process of enlargement. Read Wallace, chap 16.

• Review Class

• Final Exam.

Textbook and Reading List

• Main textbook: H. Wallace and W. Wallace, Policy-Making in the European Union, Oxford University Press, 2000.

• Reading list: Willem Molle, Ashgate, The Economics of European Integration: Theory, Practice, Policy. Aldershot, 2002. Other materials (journal articles, official documents, etc.) will be distributed during the course