What precisely is a Single Market, how it has been designed in the case of the European Union (e.g. in the treaty) and how it has developed over 5 decades, are the three questions answered in this contribution. It is first shown that the design of a Single Market matters: it is not just about...

This compact literature survey covers the economic impact of the old EEC customs union and, more extensively, of the Single Market as it has emerged since the mid-1980s. The emphasis is on micro-economic studies of the effects on trade in goods (initially trade creation and diversion) and...