In face of these issues, it is difficult to understand why half the EU budget is still devoted to subsidizing agriculture…
That is from Europe at the Crossroads, by Guillermo de la Dehesa. Contrary to what the above excerpt may indicate to some, this is not a "Europe-bashing" book. It is perhaps the best short, comprehensive overview of the European economies, their strengths, and their problems. Matt Yglesias makes good points about Scandinavia and competitiveness, but I cannot agree that the main problems of France and Germany are macroeconomic in nature.
How does this book compare to Europe As Empire: The Nature of the Enlarged European Union by Jan Zielonka?
“I cannot agree that the main problems of France and Germany are macroeconomic in nature.”
That’s an interesting hypothesis. Would you mind building on it a bit?
> The French [...] reject many `anglo-saxon’ ideas explicitly!
There was a study about free markets that found that only 36% of french people believe that “the free enterprise system and free market economy is the best system”.
http://65.109.167.118/pipa/pdf/jan06/FreeMarkets_Jan06_quaire.pdf
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