The Evolution of Economic Policy‐Making in the European Union

Abstract The course of European integration since the Second World War has raised important challenges for analysts of economic policy‐making. This chapter examines its impact on three analytical frameworks associated with distinctive eras of economic policy‐making in Europe: the era of competitive modernization, the era of distributive conflict, and the era of globalization. In respect of each era, the analysis addresses four general questions. First, how are the principal economic challenges facing the European nations defined? Second, what does good economic policy‐making entail? Third, what are the institutional conditions associated with successful policy‐making? Fourth, what kind of categories or comparisons among nations does each analytical framework emphasize?