Globalisation and Enlargement of the European Union: Austrian and Swedish Social Forces in the Struggle over Membership

by Bieler,Andreas

• ISBN13: 9780415213127
• ISBN10: 0415213126
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-08-10
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

On January 1 1995, Austria and Sweden joined the European Union (EU). This book analyzes why these two countries joined at such a moment when in fact the EU's development towards neo-liberal economic policy - embodied in the Internal Market and covergence criteria of the Economic and Monetary Union - endangered the traditional Keynesian economic policy making, and at a time when the steps towards a Common Foreign and Security Policy threatened their neutrality.

Table of Contents

List of tables	vii
Foreword	viii
Acknowledgements	x
List of abbreviations	xi
Introduction: theories of integration and Austria's and Sweden's accession to the European Union - a critique and alternative	1	(17)
Introduction	1	(2)
Some limitations of integration theories	3	(5)
A neo-Gramscian alternative	8	(10)
Austria and Sweden in an era of global structural change	18	(35)
The processes of globalisation	19	(8)
The post-war economic and political systems in Austria and Sweden	27	(9)
The impact of the processes of globalisation on Austria and Sweden	36	(11)
Globalisation and the configuration of social forces in Austria and Sweden	47	(5)
Conclusion	52	(1)
Social forces and the struggle for application in Austria and Sweden	53	(35)
The struggle over the Austrian application to the EU	53	(17)
Sweden and social democratic hegemony: the struggle postponed	70	(15)
Conclusion	85	(3)
The conflict over the EU referenda in Austria and Sweden	88	(34)
From the EEA via Maastricht and membership negotiations to the referenda	88	(7)
The referendum struggle in Austria	95	(7)
A debate at last: social forces mobilise in Sweden	102	(13)
The referendum campaign	115	(5)
Conclusion	120	(2)
Austria's and Sweden's accession to the EU and the changing security structure	122	(16)
Neo-realism, neutral states and the end of the Cold War	122	(1)
Austria: the silent redefinition of neutrality	123	(7)
Sweden: neutrality redefined as non-alignment	130	(6)
Conclusion	136	(2)
The future enlargement of the EU towards Central and Eastern Europe	138	(15)
A neo-Gramscian perspective on future EU enlargements	138	(2)
Globalisation and the transformation of Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary	140	(8)
Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and the question of EU membership	148	(5)
Conclusions: globalisation, EU enlargement and the limits of neo-liberalism	153	(12)
A neo-Gramscian perspective as an alternative approach to European integration	153	(3)
Social forces behind the Austrian and Swedish accession to the EU	156	(2)
The possibilities for a counter neo-liberal project	158	(7)
Notes	165	(4)
Bibliography	169	(23)
Index	192