EU Development Policies

“An excellent collection of essays that illustrate how EU member states’ wish to implement normatively inspired policies is confronted with the geopolitical realities of today’s world. The authors succeed in presenting an even-handed account of the way in which the tensions between norms and geopolitics play out, as well as of the responses given by EU policy makers.”
—Wil Hout, International Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University, the Netherlands

The European Union (EU), while collectively constituting the world’s largest development provider, has come under internal and external pressures over the past decade. This book argues that the EU’s development policies are situated between the bloc’s normative ideals and the global geopolitical realities in which it is embedded. In order to investigate these tensions, it asks how far the 'normative power' Europe concept exists in EU development policies, and how far it is recognizable in the EU’s focus on human rights, the rule of law, and sustainability. In light of the tension in EU development policies between those ideals and the necessity to project neoliberal and geopolitical interests, how do receiving countries perceive the EU’s development efforts? This volume, complete with contributions from academics from a wide range of disciplines based all around the globe, provides answers to these essential questions.

Sarah L. Beringer is Research Coordinator at the German Historical Institute, Washington D.C., USA. Her research focuses on issues in International Political Economy, particularly on transnational aspects involving the EU, the USA, and emerging economies.

Sylvia Maier is Clinical Associate Professor and directs the Concentration in Global Gender Studies at the Center for Global Affairs at New York University, USA. Her research focuses on women’s rights, education, and the globalization-empowerment nexus in the Middle East, Gulf States, and Afghanistan.  

Markus Thiel is Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations, and directs the Jean Monnet Center of Excellence and the European and Eurasian Studies Program at Florida International University, USA. His research centers on Identity Politics and Human Rights policies in the EU.