By any standards, the evolution of the European Union has been dramatic. Born in the devastation of the immediate post-war years, it brought together countries which had faced each other in conflict only a few years earlier. Predictably, the political rationale for its establishment in 1958 was peace, but the key to achieving this goal was to be economic growth. Economic growth was expected to increase the absolute wealth of member states, as well as improve the relative economic performance of poorer regions. / This latter view is consistent with neoclassical economic theories of regional integration which predict a convergence of wealth levels as integration proceeds. Issues of convergence and divergence are particularly significant for economic communities, as it has been demonstrated that such organizations are especially vulnerable to political tensions which result from uneven distributions of wealth. / Given the importance of wealth disparities for the integration process, this study traces their development over a thirty year period. It also assesses whether such economic trends have influenced public support for the European Union. / The results of the analysis indicate that economic convergence has occurred within the European Union since its inception. The original members became more alike economically, and three of the EU's four poorest members moved closer to this core group. It was also discovered that public evaluations of the EU are shaped by economic conditions. However, the most significant indicator of public support for the European Union was found to be the length of a country's membership in that organization. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-08, Section: A, page: 3289. / Major Professor: Dale L. Smith. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_77528 |
| Contributors | Glen, Carol M., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 298 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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