European Union: Power, Politics And Economics

Module description

The module provides an introduction to the politics and economics of European integration. It draws upon theories of international relations, political economy and governance to assess the origins of the European project and the politics of market integration after 1945. We analyse the EU’s evolving institutional framework by charting the constitution-building process and mapping the distribution of executive, legislative, administrative and judicial functions over time. The module then explores the expansion of EU power and legal competence in key policy fields over the past two decades. It begins by considering the history and theory of economic and monetary union, as well as the causes and consequences of the Eurozone crisis. The module also explains the rapid development of the EU as an internal and external security actor in the post-Cold War era through cooperation in asylum and immigration policy, and foreign and defence policy. It ends by reflecting on the scale and pace of the EU enlargement process and the wider political implications of the EU’s democratic deficit. 

Assessment details

2,500-word essay (50%) & 2-hour written exam (50%)

Educational aims & objectives

The module provides an introduction to the politics and economics of European integration. It will cover the following:

• A detailed history of the early European integration process including the founding treaties, the revival of the single market project in the 1980s, political integration in the 1990s, and the constitutional debate.
• Critical analysis of theories of European integration, political economy and governance approaches through their application to the integration process.
• An understanding of the EU's decision making process, studying the EU as an emergent political system with executive, legislative and judicial institutions.
• A detailed overview of the EU's accession process, the impact of past and future enlargements, and the strengths and weaknesses of conditionality as a policy instrument.
• A critical assessment of the EU's democratic credentials, evaluating competing claims regarding its perceived democratic and legitimacy deficits.
• An exploration of the history and theory of economic and monetary cooperation since the 1970s – focusing in particular on the European Monetary System, the development of EMU after 1992, and analysis of the causes and consequences of the Eurozone crisis.
• A detailed analysis of the development of justice and home affairs cooperation since the 1970s, the gradual process of supranationalisation, and a critical overview of the citizenship and 'Fortress Europe' debates.
• An understanding of foreign, security and defence cooperation within the EU, the importance of geopolitical events, and continued weaknesses regarding the EU's military capabilities and decision making structures.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module students will have:

• A detailed understanding of the historical development of the EU and the capacity to assess the range of causal factors that explain the incremental and uneven pace of integration.
• The ability to analyse the EU as a political system, to identify the complex distribution of executive, legislative and judicial functions, and to reflect critically on their internal capabilities and democratic deficiencies.
• The ability to apply different theories and approaches to European integration to case study material and to hypothesise about the future of integration.
• The skills to explore the design, development and implementation of key EU policies, including economic and monetary union, justice and home affairs, and foreign and security policy.
• The capacity to analyse and explain the accession process, the use of conditionality as a policy instrument, and the EU's relationship with its near abroad. It will also provide students with a range of core transferable skills:
• The capacity to analyse and explain competing theories, concepts, frameworks and empirical evidence.
• The ability to think independently and to address complex problems through the application of different conceptual and analytical toolkits.
• The development and formulation of personal views and arguments, and the ability to present and communicate these concisely to peers.
• The identification and sourcing of secondary literature and primary research material in the relevant area.
• The organisation and time management of assessed and non-assessed work to clear deadlines.

Module description disclaimer

King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.

Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place to all students who elect to study this module.

Please note that the module descriptions above are related to the current academic year and are subject to change.