Teaching European political economy and governance with the EU in crisis mode

Abstract

Against the backdrop of a sheer endless stream of crises which have stress-tested not only Europe’s institutions but also our understanding of these institutions, three recent textbooks aim to provide students with the conceptual tools to make sense of politics and policy within and across the European Union. By combining elements from each of the three volumes, teachers of European political economy and governance can craft modules and develop syllabi that make room for critical thinking about the ideal of European integration in light of its political-economic realities. Despite their respective strengths, a number of underexplored methodological and substantive issues across the three textbooks suggest that European political economy will need to remain an open and pluralist endeavour if it is to grasp the challenges presented by Europe’s overlapping and quasi-permanent emergencies.