AEP-30306 The Economics and Politics of European Integration: Agricultural, Rural and Regional Policy Analysis

Course

Credits 6.00

Language of instruction:

English

Assumed knowledge on:

AEP-20306 Economics of Agribusiness or UEC-21806 Microeconomics

Contents:

European integration implies that the members of the Union give up parts of their sovereignty in pursuit of shared goals. This course focusses on this integration process, its challenges and effects. The subject of this course is the analysis of a range of policies implemented by the European Union (EU) in order to reach its policy goals. In the centre of the course are policies which are an integral part of the integration process of the EU. Also other policies which are relevant for food and environment are discussed. The course focuses on the formation and assessment of the effects of agricultural and trade policies of the EU as well as its foreign policy regarding its neighbouring countries in the Mediterranean region and Eastern Europe (ENP - the European Neighbourhood Policy). Moreover, environmental, regional and food policies are dealt with. The course provides the economic as well as the political science perspective on these policies.
The course consists of several parts. First, EU integration and EU policy making are introduced. Second, tools from micro economics (e.g. welfare analysis), and political science (e.g. discourse analysis) frequently used for analysing policies will be presented and practiced. Third, details of the institutions of the EU its policy instruments and a discussion of the political and economic rationales is provided. This is necessary to explain specific EU policies. On these areas a large part of the EU budget is spent and they have core importance for the EU' s future. Special attention will be given to the different sectorial policies and the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy and its effects on farmers, the environment and on food security. Finally, attention is paid to food trade policies. Specific topics are international trade liberalisation, non-tariff trade barriers and regional trade agreements.
This course gives you a comprehensive overview of various topic of European integration. It also prepares you to write a MSc thesis in the areas of 'Agricultural Economics and Rural Policy Analysis' (AEP group) or 'Public Administration and Policy' (PAP group).

Learning outcomes:

After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:
- understand and explain the economic and political rationales of the process of European integration and topical issues;
- understand the agricultural, trade and neighbourhood policies of the EU, and explain their economic and political rationales;
- analyse the process of policy development and policy implementation in a multilevel context of different member states, the EU institutions and global institutions;
- apply micro-economic and discourse theory to assess the impacts of agricultural, trade and neighbourhood policies on various stakeholders;
- evaluate economic instruments implemented for specific policy aims;
- design a MSc thesis proposal and provide feedback on the proposals of peers.

Activities:

- attending lectures and studying the course material;
- solving exercises;
- discussing assignments in practical sessions;
- designing and writing a research proposal for a MSc thesis;
- evaluating MSc proposals of peers and giving feedback.

Examination:

- presentation (20%);
- research proposal (20%);
- written exam with open and closed questions (60%).
The minimum mark for the written exam is 5.0.

Literature:

Baldwin, R., and C. Wyplosz (2012). The Economics of the European Integration. McGraw-Hill Higher Education, London. 4rd edition.
Articles in the area of EU agricultural, trade and foreign policy analysis.
Wallace, H., Pollack, M.A. and A. R. Young (2015): Policy-Making in the European Union. Oxford University Press, Oxford. 7th edition (W et al.).
The course is supported by a Blackboard site where further material will be provided.