Description

With European Monetary Union (EMU) celebrating its fifth anniversary against this background, it is particularly timely to look back on the experiences with 'euroland'. This issue of TRANSFER reviews and analyses the main debates and policy developments in relation to EMU and the challenges posed by the euro for the European institutions, national governments and trade unions. The various contributors to this issue take up the debate and propose realistic reform measures: reforms in the three main macroeconomic policy fields - monetary, fiscal and wage policy - and especially the way these areas interact with one another that would bring about a substantial improvement in Europe's performance in the economic and employment fields. Specific attention is given to the role of wages and trade unions in the existing and a potential new economic governance regime in Europe.

Coordinators

Table of contents

Editorial

Note to Readers

Main articles

• Andrew Watt and Volker Hallwirth: The policy mix and policy coordination in EMU - how can it contribute to higher growth and employment?
• Gustav Horn: Five years of the ECB - a mixed experience
• Christopher Allsopp and Andrew Watt: Trouble with EMU: fiscal policy and its implications for inter-country adjustment and the wage-bargaining process
• Ronald Janssen and Emmanuel Mermet: Wage policy under EMU
• László Andor: From Budapest to Maastricht. Perspectives and problems of the eastward enlargement of the euro area
• Deborah Foster and Peter Scott: EMU and public service trade unionism: between states and markets

News and background

• Constitution, economic policy and full employment in the European Union
  (Ludwig Schubert)
• Monetary dialogue and the democratic accountability of the ECB
  (Christa Randzio-Plath)
• 2002 and 2003 Broad Economic Policy Guidelines
  (Marica Frangakis)
• Implementing the 'new open method of coordination' in the field of social inclusion
  (Ute Behning)
• Social dialogue and concertation in the partner countries of the southern and eastern Mediterranean
  (Isabelle Schömann)

Book reviews

• Eckhard Hein, Arne Heise and Achim Truger (eds.)
  Neu-Keynesianismus. Der neue wirtschaftspolitische Mainstream? [New Keynesianism. The new economic-political mainstream?]
  (Torsten Niechoj)
• Klaus F. Zimmerman and Thomas K. Bauer (eds.)
  The Economics of Migration
  (Albert Terrones)
• Heribert Kohl and Hans-Wolfgang Platzer
  Arbeitsbeziehungen in Mittelosteuropa Transformation und Integration. Die acht EU-Beitrittsländer im Vergleich[Industrial relations in central and eastern Europe Transformation and integration: a comparison of the eight EU accession countries]
  (Otto Jacobi)
• Hedva Sarfati and Giuliano Bonoli (eds.)
  Labour Market and Social Protection Reforms in International Perspective: Parallel or converging tracks?
  (Martin Hutsebaut)
• Martin Höpner
  Wer beherrscht die Unternehmen? Shareholder Value, Managerherrschaft und Mitbestimmung in Deutschland [Who controls companies? Shareholder value, management control and co-determination in Germany]
  (Jürgen Hoffmann)
• Walther Müller-Jentsch and Hansjörg Weitbrecht (eds.)
  The Changing Contours of German Industrial Relations
  (Thomas Klikauer)

Reports

• How are the trade unions to become equipped for the future?
  Hattingen Forum 2003 on how the trade unions can learn
  (Eberhard Schmidt)
• Legal aspects of labour relations in south east Europe, Belgrade, 14-15 July 2003 and Zaghreb, 25-27 September 2003
  (Wiebke Duvel)
• New directions and trends in industrial relations - The IIRA 13th World Congress, Berlin, 8-12 September 2003
  (Karl Koch)
• ver.di's National Convention [Bundeskongress], Berlin International Congress Center, 19-25 October 2003
  (Ian Greer)
• IG Metall conference, Frankfurt, 28-30 August and Hannover, 14-17 October 2003
  (Otto Jacobi)
• ' Workers' rights in a globalised world', meeting held by IG Metall and the Otto Brenner Foundation, Berlin, 12-13 November 2003
  (Otto Jacobi)