This compelling book represents the first systematic justification of the European project from a free-market viewpoint. Instead of advocating for the end of the Eu, Rohac argues that conservatives must come to its rescue by helping to reduce the Eu's democratic deficit and turning it into an engine of economic dynamism and prosperity.

Towards an Imperfect Union mounts a formidable defense of the rationale of the European project. Mr. Rohac also makes a powerful metaphysical argument for maintaining the union. Conservatives tend to be skeptical of radical and irreversible change. The consequences of breaking up the European Union are not foreseeable and could very well be unpleasant. Stepping into the unknown in this way, Mr. Rohac concludes, is not something that any true conservative should be doing. (The Wall Street Journal)

In seven short chapters that are accessible and well documented, Rohac explains how the EU has generated unprecedented peace, democracy, and economic growth in Europe. Progress such as this would not have been possible with authoritarian tendencies, belligerence, and protectionism. The book warns of similarities between the pushback to a stronger EU and the isolationism of the interwar period that contributed to WW II. Because of this danger, Rohac debunks the arguments that attract European conservatives to become Euro-skeptics: loss of national sovereignty, excessive bureaucratic regulation, or too much power given to economic elites.

Rohac looks at current European trends: the endless Euro crisis, growing resistance to the free movement of people, and the absence of a common asylum and border policy. Backed by an extensive cohort of conservative thinkers, Rohac argues that the solution is a more powerful set of European institutions. This conclusion may seem counterintuitive because nowadays many conservatives embrace nationalistic sentiments. Nevertheless, the analysis is solid. In the final chapter, Rohac recommends changes to EU institutions to improve levels of citizen representation and, of course, economic growth.

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (April 22, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1442270640
ISBN-13: 978-1442270640