In recent years, the European Commission has attached increasing importance to the use of financial engineering instruments rather than traditional grant-based financing for the microcredit sector, considering these to be the most efficient option available. This book presents a study of...

Philipp Mohl evaluates the macroeconomic effects of EU Cohesion Policy with the help of empirical methods. His findings indicate that in particular the part of EU Cohesion Policy which is spent for the poorest regions (the so-called Objective 1 funding) has a positive and statistically...

This book's thirteen contributions bring together the results of recent research on determinants of regional specialization, growth, and convergence in the context of European integration. They offer fresh theoretical and empirical evidence on patterns of regional production structures,...

This work examines the political economy of exchange-rate policies in the eastward expansion of the eurozone. Analysis shows that prospective members of the EMU are likely to pass on some costs of convergence to the current EMU members. The mechanism is an altered exchange-rate policy that...

This book presents an interdisciplinary analysis of EU regional cohesion based on a network and clusters approach. The author explores the question if and how the presence of network structures supports the effectiveness of transformation in EU regions, in particular with a focus on...

This volume assesses the implementation of the EU's cohesion policy and the role that the policy has in stimulating ten new member states from eastern and southern European countries to join the EU in 2004 and another three to four countries that will join in the near future

Some Basic Models -- Monetary Policy in Europe -- Fiscal Policy in Germany -- First the Central Bank Decides, then the Governments Decide -- First the Governments Decide, then the Central Bank Decides -- Central Bank and Governments Decide Simultaneously and Independently: Cold-Turkey Policies...

Measures of Active Labor Market Policy - such as training, wage subsidies, public employment measures, and job search assistance - are widely used in European countries to combat unemployment. This study provides novel insight on this important policy issue by discussing the role of the European...

The EU and the U.S. confront distinct factor market dynamics and common policy challenges. Labor market developments and long-term changes in capital markets and capital flows represent key problems in aging societies. The analyses presented here compare the European and U.S. patterns in this...

An Overview of the Main Issues and the Role of Structural Change -- Structural Change and Labour Reallocation Across Regions: A Review of the Literature -- Organized Labour and Restructuring: Coal Mines in the Czech Republic and Romania -- New Evidence on Spatial Convergence -- Labour...