The expert contributors focus on global imbalances and accompanying policy challenges, competitiveness and trade, the sustainability of current growth strategies, and banking and financial stability in the light of the global economic and financial crisis. They provide a multi-disciplinary assessment, combining the views of high-ranking central bankers, policymakers, commercial bankers and academics, and demonstrate that a broad view of European economic integration is crucial given that spillovers and contagion were major issues of the recent economic crisis.

In the long aftermath of the acute global financial crisis of 2008/09, "rebalancing" the economy with new sources of growth and productivity remains a persistent necessity. This book addresses the resulting trade-offs and challenges. These needs, and the corresponding policy challenges, are especially prevalent in Europe, in particular Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. On this issue, this book contributes lessons learned from earlier balance sheet recessions. It also addresses the often overlooked link between macroeconomic imbalances and economic inequality. Further contributions...

With formidable challenges facing Europe today, effective and well-designed structural reforms are key to shaping Europe's future. This book examines the achievements and failures of past structural policies so that new concepts can evolve to address remaining and newly emerging challenges with greater success. Tangible policy advice is offered in the original contributions to this book, reassessing past `moments of truth' in European structural policy. The book focuses on the area of Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe (CESEE), not least because this region has been largely...

How can financial flows help the EU fulfil its mandate to promote economic, social and territorial cohesion, and solidarity among Member States enshrined in the EU Treaty? Dissecting the complexity of cohesion, this book examines the factors that matter most for the functioning of the Economic and Monetary Union and the convergence of Central, Eastern and Southeastern European (CESEE) countries. This insightful and timely book brings together central bankers, policy makers and academics to discuss how to best advance and fund the catching-up process of the euro area and CESEE countries....