International economic integration is not a recent phenomenon; its roots can be traced back to the Roman Empire. This informative volume departs from the conventional short-term analysis and takes a long-term view of the process, offering perspectives that are both detailed and diverse. Author Dennis McCarthy examines seven types of organizations that exemplify international economic integration (colonial empires, merchant associations, religious empires, criminal empires, free trade areas, customs unions and common markets), and representative examples of each type are analyzed in a comparative framework. Timely and unique, this book demonstrates that international economic integration is an economic and political process that also involves political economy. With an introduction defining key terms and concepts; a retrospective summarizing the main insights, and endnotes and a detailed bibliography offering readers ways to pursue these topics further, McCarthy’s book will prove indispensable to students and general readers who wish to gain a firm understanding of international economics and the processes that shape the world today.

The clearest and most up-to-date account of the achievements—and setbacks—of the European Union since 1945. Europe has been transformed since the Second World War. No longer a checkerboard of entirely sovereign states, the continent has become the largest single-market area in the world, with most of its members ceding certain economic and political powers to the central government of the European Union. This shift is the product of world-historical change, but the process is not well understood. The changes came in fits and starts. There was no single blueprint for reform; rather, the EU is the result of endless political turmoil and dazzling bureaucratic gymnastics. As Brexit demonstrates, there are occasional steps backward, too. Cutting through the complexity, Richard Pomfret presents a uniquely clear and comprehensive analysis of an incredible achievement in economic cooperation. The Economic Integration of Europe follows all the major steps in the creation of the single market since the postwar establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community. Pomfret identifies four stages of development: the creation of a customs union, the deepening of economic union with the Single Market, the years of monetary union and eastward expansion, and, finally, problems of consolidation. Throughout, he details the economic benefits, costs, and controversies associated with each step in the evolution of the EU. What lies ahead? Pomfret concludes that, for all its problems, Europe has grown more prosperous from integration and is likely to increase its power on the global stage.