Martin Howe & Philippe Legrain 
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do: Britain and Europe’s Dysfunctional Relationship 
Britain and Europe’s Dysfunctional Relationship

In the noise of the debate about the EU, it is rare for fundamental questions to be asked. For example, for what purposes should we have international institutions at all? Does the EU meet those purposes and, if not, is reform possible? This book considers these questions. An international team of renowned authors looks at each area of economic policy in which the EU has an interest, as well as at the governing structures of the EU, and asks what, if anything, the EU should be doing. In most cases, this is then compared with the status quo and against the possibility of Brexit in order to help the reader make a judgement, in each policy area, about which would be the best direction for Britain to take. As well as providing a fine contribution to the Brexit debate, the authors of this book provide a framework for evaluating the results of renegotiation together with a long-term programme for reform. The usefulness of this timely book will long outlive the referendum debate. The book asks – and answers – the fundamental questions that are rarely considered by the political classes.

About the author

Geoffrey Wood is Emeritus Professor of Economics at Cass Business School in London and Emeritus Professor of Monetary Economics at the University of Buckingham. A graduate of Aberdeen and Essex Universities, he has worked in the Federal Reserve System and the Bank of England. Overseas he has advised several central banks and national treasuries. He is currently a director of an investment trust and an adviser to several financial institutions, two pension funds and the Treasury Select Committee of the House of Commons; he was also adviser to the Parliamentary Banking Commission until the Commission ceased to exist on the publication of its report. He has authored, co-authored or edited over forty books and has published over 100 academic papers. His fields of interest are monetary economics, monetary history and financial regulation.