Course Details in 2023/24 Session

Module Title	LH Britain and the EU
School	Birmingham Business School
Department	Management
Module Code	07 31965
Module Lead	David Bailey & Carlo Corradini
Level	Honours Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 2
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Exclusions
Description	On 23 June 2016 the British electorate voted in a referendum to leave the European Union. For the first time Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which enables a member state to leave the EU, has been invoked. Leaving the EU however does not mean that we can ignore the EU; it means that, as the UK moves from a position of ‘Doing Business in the EU’, to ‘Doing Business with the EU’, more than ever there is a need to be informed about the EU. Introducing students to the economic and political dynamics of the European Union, the module aims to inform students about the European Union, its history, its rationale, its institutional structures and their role and functions and policy competences. One the drivers to the formation of the EU is neo-liberal thought on the need to create a free market in Europe by removing both tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade in order to secure economic growth and development of the EU economy and its member states and regions. In Semester I, the module accordingly first reviews the state of the EU economy, to consider how well the EU economy is doing and in comparison to the global economy. Students then learn about the history of the EU and consider the rationales for the establishment of the EU, in exploring theories of integration. The module examines the rationale for the customs union and the single market, and the regulatory regime inherent in these questioning whether these are a burden on businesses. It then looks at the nature of the EU and its institutions. It then turns to explore some of the policy competences of the EU, among them, competition policy, industrial policy, EMU, the Common Agricultural Policy and Environmental Policy, in order to consider the benefits to businesses of being a member of the EU, and which the UK is foregoing on its exit from the Union, this depending on the trade deal that the UK manages to achieve in the Brexit negotiations. The module explores the options that the UK could take on leaving the EU and whether it could remain a member of the Single Market and the Customs Union, in consideration of the implications of this for the principle of the ‘four freedoms’ and for future trade between the EU and other trading partners and what it means for businesses.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module, students should be able to: Understand the economic and political dynamics of the European Union demonstrate a sound knowledge and comprehension of the objectives underlying the process of European integration and the alternative theoretical perspectives which have been advanced to describe the integration processes appreciate how the EU has evolved historically Understand the institutions of the Union and the relationship between them Analyse the rationale, scope and nature of the different EU policy competences Critically assess the case for the UK to leave or remain in the EU
Assessment	31965-01 : Essay 1 : Coursework (50%) 31965-02 : Essay 2 : Coursework (50%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	2 x 2,500 word essay (50% of module mark each)
Other
Reading List