The European Rupture focuses on the consequences of the end of the Cold War for defence sectors in Europe. It offers a theoretical framework supported by country case studies from both Western Europe and formerly centrally planned economies.The discussion in the first part of the book analyses the connection between security and the Cold War economy, arguing that the defence sector profoundly shaped the technological development and industrial and social policy in both East and West. It considers some of the issues that have to be confronted in the transition periods, focusing on the new challenges to our perceptions of security, changes in technology and problems of defence conversion. The final part considers the need for new institutional arrangements and how these have to be constructed in order to re-establish a system of international security and economic regulation. It proposes that there should be a shift away from national or bloc security policies towards a more internationalist security policy, and appropriate measures of economic adjustment, especially defence conversion. This book will be of special interest to academics and students interested in European studies, international affairs, international policy and policymakers.

After more than two decades of widespread hardship for most nations, what are the different paths available for them to resume steady growth and welfare? Will they actually succeed in building new growth models that meet the challenges of the present phase of internationalisation? This book attempts to answer these questions by analysing different perspectives and discussing the conditions for new national growth trajectories to emerge. The book provides conceptual tools for characterising alternative growth regimes by analysing their institutional backgrounds and political context. Unlike standard convergence theories, the authors argue that the diversity of capitalism is likely to persist as national economies adapt to the forces of globalisation. Still these national paths remain strongly conditioned by the kind of governance set up at both regional and fully international levels. The Hardship of Nations will be of great interest to undergraduates and graduates in the social sciences - economics, political sciences, sociology, geography and management - who require an overview of the debates on growth of national economies in the present stage of globalisation.