Edited by internationally renowned authors in the field, this book, packed full with articles by an impressive array of international contributors, examines the American and European economies; drawing comparisons between them.

Introduction PART I Competitiveness and employment 1 Comparing welfare in Europe and the United States 2 Technology regimes and productivity growth in Europe and the United States: a comparative and historical perspective 3 Longer-term competitiveness of the Wider Europe 4 How well do the clothes fit? Priors and evidence in the debate over flexibility and labour market performance 5 Convergence via two-tier reforms and growthless job creation in Europe 6 Employment and labour productivity in the EU: reconsidering a potential trade-off in the Lisbon strategy 7 Migration, labour markets, and integration of migrants: an overview for Europe with a comparison to the US 8 International migrations: some comparisons and lessons for the European Union 9 American fiscal policy in the post-war era: an interpretive history 10 Fiscal policy in Europe: the past and future of EMU rules from the perspective of Musgrave and Buchanan PART II Governance and social policy 11 Economic institutions and policies in the US and the EU: convergence or divergence? 12 Between neo-liberalism and no liberalism: progressive approaches to economic liberalization in Western Europe 13 Is there a European welfare model distinct from the US model? 14 The Welfare State and Euro-growth 15 The policy of insolvency EU-US 16 Phases of competition policy in Europe 17 European Union expansion: a constitutional perspective 18 Europe's constitutional imbroglio 19 From accidental disagreement to structural antagonism: the US and Europe: old and new conflicts of interest, identities, and values, 1945-2005