What is today’s role of the European Union? After decades towards greater integration, economic relationships have recently become more fragile. Examples of the rise of disintegration include tendencies of secession and the exit of countries from international institutional arrangements. In view of strong interdependencies between economic actors (global supply chains), these disruptions seem to be particularly costly and may require appropriate policy responses. This course introduces the main economic aspects of the current development of the European Union (EU) and its policies. The basic idea is to discuss general issues in economic integration with a strong emphasis on experiences in Europe. After reviewing the institutional, political and historical background of European integration, the main focus is on the economic analysis of the policies and prospects for the European Union and its economic impacts on individuals, firms and regions. Some recent developments in the international policy agenda like sovereign debt crises, Brexit and the euro crisis will also be covered. This course provides an introduction to economic tools and concepts useful for the analysis of European integration. More generally, students learn to apply economic theory to real-world problems.
Instructor: Prof. Dr. Volker Nitsch
Deputy Dean, Graduate School of Economics, Management and Finance, Goethe Universität Frankfurt, Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz, and Technische Universität Darmstadt
Other Appointments
since 2005 CESifo Research Fellow
since 2011 Academic Advisor, Urbancontext
since 2012 Fellow, West Africa Institute
since 2014 Senior Fellow, Center for European Integration Studies, University of Bonn
Previous Appointments
2007-2009 Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, KOF Swiss Economic Institute, Head of International Economics Division
2003-2007 Freie Universität Berlin, Department of Economics, Assistant Professor of Economics
1995-2003 Bankgesellschaft Berlin, Economics Department, Senior Economist 1997-2003, Economist 1995-1997
Academic Qualifications
Dr. rer. pol. Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (equiv. Ph.D. in Economics) Department of Economics: Thesis: City Growth in Europe (summa cum laude)
Diplom-Volkswirt Freie Universität Berlin (equiv. MA) Department of Economics
Visiting Positions
Bank of Canada, International Department; Bank of Namibia, Research Department; Deutsche Bundesbank, Research Center; Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW Berlin); Free University of Bozen-Bolzano; Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Institute for Monetary Research; International Monetary Fund, Research Department; Reserve Bank of New Zealand, Economics Department; Trinity College Dublin, Institute for International Integration Studies; Universität Bonn, Center for European Integration Studies; Universität München, Center for Economic Studies; Université d’Orléans, Laboratoire d’Economie d’Orléans.
Elementary knowledge of economics and statistics is desirable.