Weighing in on the euro-austerity debate, this book uses case studies from three countries to evaluate the distinctive politics of fiscal policy and welfare state reform during a key period in Europe.

H. Tolga Bolukbasi is an assistant professor of Political Science and Public Administration at Bilkent University, Turkey.

"With clarity and grace, Tolga Bolukbasi takes the reader through the nuances of the policy choices often dubbed ‘austerity’. He shows us that the script of Euro-austerity has been edited and shaped by governments and that organized social actors have an influence on the trajectory and outcome. Now that European countries grapple with the new macro-economic and political conditions of the post-pandemic recovery, the lessons of this volume are even more relevant."

Vivien A. Schmidt, Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration, Boston University:

"This book provides an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the impact of Euro-austerity on the welfare state in the 1990s. Combining statistical analysis and comparative insights, H. Tolga Bolukbasi shows that social and political forces opposing radical change won out against the best laid plans of government proponents of austerity, resulting in welfare reform but not retrenchment in this critical period."

Kevin Featherstone, Eleftherios Venizelos Professor in Contemporary Greek Studies and Professor in European Politics, European Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science :

"A lively comparative history of how Maastricht-induced external discipline confronted the entrenched domestic politics of welfare regimes and of how the latter mostly won. It confronts easy assumptions with detailed empirical investigation that will benefit students of the European Union, welfare systems, and comparative political economy. A stimulating and insightful history."

Jane Jenson, Professeure émérite Political science, Université de Montréal:

"This monograph provides an analytically sophisticated and detailed account of the first wave of institutionalized austerity in the European Union. Dr. Tolga Bolukbasi applies the best tools of political economy and sociology to understand the reframing of welfare states within the constraining economic conditions adopted by European institutions and Member States. A masterful reconstruction of a key moment both for building the European Union and setting the stage for its contemporary difficulties."

Philippe Pochet, General Director, European Union Trade Institute:

"Euro-Austerity and Welfare States illuminates the nature of the mechanisms at work during the period of Euro accession and debate. Insightful and well written, it contributes an interesting argument to current European debates."