“Local Interests Confront the Euro: Evidence from France and Italy”

Constantelos, John. (1999) “Local Interests Confront the Euro: Evidence from France and Italy” . In European Union Studies Association (EUSA) > Biennial Conference > 1999 (6th), June 2-5, 1999, pages 22, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Abstract

The lengthy countdown to economic and monetary union (EMU) was a time filled with projections, planning, and politics. Scholars have examined closely the impact of EMU on firms, groups, parties, governments and other political and economic actors. Most of our attention has focused on Brussels and the national capitals, where key decisions are taken. Adjustment to economic integration takes place, however, throughout the EU, and so far we have paid far less attention to politics away from the center. This paper examines the politics of adjustment to EMU by business groups in two regions: Liguria, Italy and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France. The central questions of this exploratory study are: what are the political strategies favored by regional associations, and do they engage in political actions that go beyond those customarily expected of sub-national groups? I begin with a brief discussion of the theoretical impact of economic and monetary union. This is followed by an examination of the political responses at the national level to the introduction of the single currency in the two case study countries, France and Italy. The fourth section examines the theoretical basis for a multi-level approach to modeling the political strategies of groups, and describes the research design of this comparative study of regional business responses to EMU. The final three sections describe and analyze the impact and political responses of business to the single currency in Marseilles and Genoa.