This book provides a thorough knowledge of the nature of the convergence criteria which states must meet in order to qualify for accession to the future Economic and Monetary Union of Europe and comprehensive coverage of both the economic and political rationale of the criteria within the framework of an international political economy approach. Thus, throughout the course of the analysis, three questions in particular are addressed: first, what is the relationship between the economics and politics of the convergence criteria; second, how do domestic and international factors impact upon...

This pioneering volume argues for the inclusion of children, and the structure known as 'childhood', as a permanent social category worthy of continued study within the discipline of international political economy (IPE). Fundamentally, and very simply, IPE is concerned with the dynamics of interaction across the economic and political domains; the relationship between the domestic and the international levels of analysis, and the role of the state. This book presents a convincing argument for the discussion of children within each of these areas. This volume: * provides the first book...