The most significant phenomenon occurring around us today is the European crisis. As well as being a “total social phenomenon” as classical French sociologist Émile Durkheim would have said, it also affects all the levels of our lives—be they political, economic, cultural or social. Nothing remains untouched. In other words, it represents a “perfect storm”. This volume brings together the contributions of twenty authors, scientists from the “Ion I.C. Brătianu” Institute of Political Sciences and International Relations of the Romanian Academy, in response to this challenge. Using an expression that is becoming more abundantly associated with Europe, namely “the perfect storm”, the book decodes multiple layers of the crisis, whether they relate to migrants, terrorism, Brexit, the economic crisis of the Eurozone, the Turkish challenge, Russian pressures, TTIP, the resurrection of populism, or the (intermittent) hysteria of the European media.

A true story of men against the sea.

This handbook comprehensively explores the European Union’s institutional and policy responses to crises across policy domains and institutions – including the Euro crisis, Brexit, the Ukraine crisis, the refugee crisis, as well as the global health crisis resulting from COVID-19. It contributes to our understanding of how crisis affects institutional change and continuity, decision-making behavior and processes, and public policy-making. It offers a systematic discussion of how the existing repertoire of theories understand crisis and how well they capture times of unrest and events of disintegration. More generally, the handbook looks at how public organizations cope with crises, and thus probes how sustainable and resilient public organizations are in times of crisis and unrest.

In the light of Brexit, the migration crisis, and growing scepticism regarding the European integration process, this book offers a comprehensive overview of the most pressing problems facing the European Union in the 21st century. Written by experts from various disciplines, the contributions cover a wide range of economic, legal, social and political challenges, including populism, migration, Brexit, and EU defence, foreign policy and enlargements. Each paper includes a historical account, insights into the problems and challenges confronting the EU, and an assessment of the institutions and policy instruments applied by the EU in response. Discussing each of the problems as part of a process – including the historical roots, current situation and potential solutions – the book allows readers to gain an understanding of the European Union as a living project.

A cogent and systematic look at the ways in which enacting fiscal and governmental policy changes might reinvigorate Europe's stagnant economy.

“This collective volume is undoubtedly a major contribution to understanding the causes and consequences of the crisis of the Euro-zone, with a special emphasis on the implications of new and not yet EMU members. A skilful combination of contrasting theoretical and policy perspectives, a refreshing interchange among academics and practitioners from a number of countries, it is a must reading for anyone seriously interested in the political economy of crisis and reform in Europe.” – László Csaba, Professor of International Political Economy, Central European University and Corvinus University of Budapest; Past President, the European Association for Comparative Economic Studies “This book offers a refreshing analysis of what is rapidly becoming Europe’s lost decade. The authors, all established experts in their fields, see light at the end of the tunnel, but it seems quite distant.” – André Sapir, Senior Fellow, Bruegel; Professor of Economics, Université libre de Bruxelles “The papers included in the volume uphold the pressing question of whether Europe can resume its role as a ‘growth and convergence engine’. Issues of growth, macro-stabilization and employment in the economically diversified internal market come in this context to the fore of the discussion. The editor of the volume, Professor Beata Farkas, skilfully brings together research focusing on diverse facets of the European economies in order to address questions such as: (1) Does one size fit all? (2) How can we change the EU budget to make it more effective? (3) Can Europe learn some lessons from the two lost decades in Japan? (4) Is inflation targeting a proper approach in defining monetary policy? (5) How do we conduct an effective fiscal policy? The added value of the volume consists in diversified methodological and conceptual perspectives employed to address the problems at hand. Ideas and arguments are presented in a novel and interdisciplinary manner. As such, the discussion that unfolds throughout the volume will be stimulating for researchers, decision-makers in the government and those in the corporate world. My recommendation is simple: take the book and read it . . .” – Katarzyna Żukrowska, Professor of International Economics and Political Science, Head of the International Security Department, Warsaw School of Economics; Member of the Prognoses Committee, Polish Academy of Science