The Year of the Euro, a Nanovic Institute conference, explored the numerous ramifications of the introduction of the European Union’s new single currency in twelve participating countries. This unprecedented project of currency change emerged from a series of political and economic aspirations for transformation and convergence. With the introduction of the Euro as a circulating currency, this large project finally entered the fabric of daily life for millions of Europeans. Focusing largely on consequences and challenges located outside the economy itself, the conference papers and discussions will contribute to understanding the implications of currency change for citizens and institutions throughout Europe and beyond. The interdisciplinary and international program of scholars examined a number of themes such as the impact of the new single currency on identities, the movement of people, the meaning of borders, social policies and rights, and the agendas adopted by political institutions and actors. Conference discussions will focus on whether currency union will produce major changes in Europe beyond the functioning of the economy itself and on the nature and meaning of changes identified by conference participants. The distinguished group of participants includes both euro-enthusiasts and euro-skeptics.
Publication
The Year of the Euro: The Cultural, Social, and Political Import of Europe's Common Currency (2002)
Edited by Robert M. Fishman and Anthony M. Messina
The Year of the Euro
A Conference at the University of Notre Dame
December 6-8, 2002
Conference Program (PDF)
An edited book of the full proceedings was edited by Robert M. Fishman and Anthony M. Messina and published in 2006.
“Consent and Consensus: The Contours of Public Opinion toward the Euro” by Chris Anderson, Binghamton University, SUNY
“E Pluribus Unum: Lessons from 19th Century U.S.” by Bruce Carruthers, Northwestern University
“The Road to EMU: A Fascinating Political Puzzle” by Desmond Dinan, George Mason University
“Identity, Social Practice and Currency Change: Catalonia in the Year of the Euro” by
Robert Fishman, University of Notre Dame
“British Public Opinion and the Euro” by Matthew Gabel, University of Kentucky
“Migration and International Relations: The Liberal Paradox” by James Hollifield, Southern Methodist University
“The Color of Money: Currency and Identity in the Old and New Europe” by Jacques Hymans, Ohio State University
“Labour and Social Policy Since Maastricht: Standing up to the European Monetary Union” by Jane Jenson, Université de Montréal, and Philippe Pochet, Observatoire social européen Bruxelles
“Rethinking Euro-rights for Workers in the Year of the New Currency” by
Julia Lopez, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, and Nanovic Institute Visiting Scholar
“Some Reflections on the Introduction of the Euro in France” by John Merriman, Yale University
“Why doesn’t the Dog Bite? Extreme Right Parties and ‘Euro’ Scepticism within the European Union” by Anthony M. Messina, University of Notre Dame
“New Currency, New Constraints? The Euro and Financial Market-Government Relations,” by Layna Mosley, University of Notre Dame
“The Euro and Identity Politics in Europe” by Thomas Risse, Free University of Berlin
“Euros, Europeans and Institutions: Threats to the European Model of Society from EMU and Institutional Change” by George Ross, Brandeis University and CES Harvard University
“Undermining the Public Sector? European Monetary Integration and the Political Mobility of Capital” by Mitchell P. Smith, University of Oklahoma
“The Politics of the Euro: Intra-European and Trans Atlantic Aspects” by Raimo Väyrynen, University of Notre Dame
Co-sponsored by the European Union, the Graduate School’s Office of Research, the Henkels Lecture Series, the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, the Keough Institute, and the departments of Political Science and Sociology at the Notre Dame.