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Table of contents (10 chapters)
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Reviews
“Caton’s book might … be seen as a testament to a disturbing gulf between academic EU studies and diplomacy. … This book … has obvious added value for scholars and students of European integration, and specifically the move to and operation of EMU and French policy on EMU.” (David Howarth, Journal of Common Market Studies, Vol. 54 (5), 2016)
'Caton gives a brisk and clear chronological summary of the decades of position papers, election campaigns, summits and high-level committees. She goes beyond her French focus to describe the infighting between the German Bundesbank and the country's more European-minded politicians.' Edward Hadas, Reuters Breakingviews blog
'Valerie Caton's book is a sure-footed, impressively researched and very readable guide to the conception, negotiation and execution of the EU's most high-risk project to date. Rarely has France's decisive role in bending economics to politics been laid so bare. Her book is essential reading for understanding the fissile interplay of politics, economics and diplomatic poker which has brought Europe to its current crisis of economic performance and political legitimacy. For all Germany's growing economic primacy, Caton leaves her readers in no doubt about France's key role in - and special responsibility for - resolving that crisis.' Maurice Fraser, Professor of Practice in European Politics and Head of the European Institute, London School of Economics, UK
'François Mitterrand and Helmut Kohl sought to build a haven of stability, peace and prosperity at the heart of Europe. Two decades after the end of their historic partnership, the EU offers only austerity for too many of its citizens. The reasons lie in the keystone of the Mitterrand-Kohl project, the euro, whose story Valerie Caton tells, drawing on previously unused archive material in this excellent book.Caton's great strength is to demonstrate the rationality of decisions as they were taken at the time, while underlining their longer-term irrationality, and their unintended consequences. Her tale is therefore both sober there is explanation without finger-pointing and sobering, because it tells of the hole at the heart of the euro, a currency lacking the economic and political underpinnings to withstand the perfect storm that broke over the world financial system in 2007-8. That ways were found to stave off complete disaster testifies to the determination of European leaders to make it work. That they had to be improvised testifies to the weaknesses of the initial project weaknesses to date only partially remedied.' Andrew Knapp, Professor of French Politics and Contemporary History, University of Reading, UKAuthors and Affiliations
About the author
Dr. Valerie Caton's career in the British Diplomatic Service included overseas postings to Brussels, Stockholm, Paris and as Ambassador to Finland. Twice a Senior Associate Member at St. Antony's College, Oxford, she is currently Visiting Fellow in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Reading, UK.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: France and the Politics of European Economic and Monetary Union
Authors: Valerie Caton
Series Title: St Antony's Series
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137409171
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan London
eBook Packages: Palgrave Political Science Collection, Political Science and International Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited 2015
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-137-40916-4Published: 28 May 2015
Softcover ISBN: 978-1-349-48853-7Published: 01 January 2015
eBook ISBN: 978-1-137-40917-1Published: 26 May 2015
Series ISSN: 2633-5964
Series E-ISSN: 2633-5972
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XI, 211
Topics: European Politics, International Political Economy, European Union Politics, International Organization, Macroeconomics/Monetary Economics//Financial Economics, Diplomacy