Bridging the Prosperity Gap in the EU addresses the great social challenge currently facing the European Union. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, the authors invaluably pinpoint both overarching problems and possibilities associated with the social dimension of European integration. Prominent researchers of economics, law and political science tackle this complex issue, providing new solutions within their respective fields of expertise. The chapters cover crucial policy challenges and analyse fundamental mechanisms that limit, or otherwise affect, the evolution of a European social dimension. These insights clarify the far-reaching measures that will be needed to gradually restore the balance between market integration and social protection across the European Union. Illustrating the importance of cohesion, this book is vital for those interested in comparative European studies, from backgrounds in public and social policy, law and economics. Contributors include: U. Bernitz, N. Charron, A.-C. Jungar, A.-S. Lind, M. Ljunge, L. Magnusson, M. Martensson, S. Murhem, P. Nyman, L. Oxelheim, J. Paju, T. Persson, B. Rothstein, J. Ruist, J.J. Votinius

This collection of chapters constitutes a highly valuable and informed input to the debate on the European Union's present and potential role in the shaping of our common future. Together, the contributors take a comprehensive perspective covering legal, political and economic imbalances in the world that are of acute relevance for the possibilities to effectively tackle challenges common to us all, such as climate change, poverty, trafficking and the supply of scarce fundamental commodities. To what extent can the European Union be a constructive force in ameliorating these imbalances, and thereby in world politics, and how ought it to proceed?' - Per Cramer, University of Gothenburg, Sweden'The international dimension of the EU's activities is under-researched and often poorly understood. This book, drawing on a range of disciplinary perspectives and bringing together a range of authors from the Nordic countries, provides a timely and well-thought-out exposition of the challenges the EU faces in the world.' - Iain Begg, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK The EU's Role in Fighting Global Imbalances looks at the role of the European Union in addressing some of the greatest challenges of our time: poverty, protectionism, climate change, and human trafficking. The recent crisis has depleted the Union s economic and political resources. At the same time the Union is, like never before, expected to confront these global challenges on the world political arena, where new regional power centres are establishing themselves. Based on a broad and interdisciplinary understanding of the concept of global imbalances, this book argues that these challenges follow from pervasive global imbalances, which at root are economic, political, and legal in character. Contributions from ten leading scholars in the fields of economics, law, and political science provide in-depth analyses of three key dimensions of EU foreign policy, namely: the internal challenges facing the EU, as its 28 member countries struggle to coordinate their actions; the external challenges facing the EU on the global arena, in areas where global imbalances are particularly pervasive, and where measures taken by the Union can have an important impact; and the EUs performance on the global arena, in the eyes of other key actors. This policy-oriented, interdisciplinary volume offers real insight into the European Union and its role in global affairs and will appeal to academics and policy-makers alike. Contributors: L. Aggestam, A.Bakardjieva Engelbrekt, A. Bigsten, S. Bogojevi , O. Elgstroem, M. Henrekson, A. Jonsson Cornell, A. Kokko, M. Martensson, A. Moberg, L. Oxelheim, T. Persson, T. Sanandaji, A. Schmidt-Felzmann