Core-periphery Relations in the European Union

"Is a core-periphery cleavage tearing the European Union apart? This timely book critically examines the transformation of political conflict in Europe in the wake of the Eurocrisis. José Magone, Brigid Laffan and Christian Schweiger have assembled a leading group of theoretical and empirical scholars to apply the core-periphery lens on the Eurocrisis. The collection provides a compelling explanation for the intensity of conflict, coalitional patterns, and declining policy effectiveness in the contemporary European Union. It shows how the Eurocrisis has exacerbated – rather than created – old core-periphery tensions, and how the EU institutions’ inability to diffuse these tensions is hastening Europe’s geopolitical decline. This path-breaking study will change our understanding of European governance. It is also a wake-up call for Europe’s leaders." – Liesbet Hooghe, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.