ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book is about game theory applied to the Phillips curve, business cycles, and the costs of disinflation in a framework of transitional political economy. It extends the game theory methodology to explore the feasibility of economically integrating the eastern and western halves of Europe by comparing their underlying economic structures. The book provides a framework to reinterpret the fiscal and monetary aspects of political economy. It identifies some theoretical issues treated. The book goes into the process of enlargement and explains the proper scope of the European Commission’s action. Its ambit moves well beyond simply financing these countries’ efforts.
