In post-Brexit Europe, it has never been more important to understand who benefits from the European Union and its Single Market. In this innovative approach to the history of European integration, Grace Ballor reconstructs the creation of the Single Market in the 1980s and 1990s through the lens of multinational business. She both shows how policymakers viewed big business as an ally in market integration and uncovers the diverse responses of European companies, ranging from enthusiastic support for the market to opposition to its attendant social and environmental policies. Drawing on institutional and corporate archives and interviews with key policymakers and business leaders, Ballor demonstrates how businesses adapted their strategies to the new realities of integration and how these adaptations in turn shaped international markets. This is essential reading for anyone wishing to make sense of contemporary European economics and the complex relationships between business and policymaking, economy and society.

‘Enterprise and Integration is a first-rate historical investigation of business influence during a crucial period of the European Union’s development. Grace Ballor foregrounds the agency of business actors while avoiding the reductive portrayal of Europe’s Single Market as a mere embodiment of economic neoliberalism. By ‘historicizing’ and ‘provincializing’ the Single Market, she offers a sobering critique of teleological narratives of European integration.’

Nicolas Jabko - Johns Hopkins University

‘Offering historical depth to an endeavour that is still on today’s agenda, Grace Ballor’s book reminds us how complex the making of the single market is. It is an important read for anyone interested in understanding not only how European policymakers conceived of the market and the extent to which big business contributed to developing its standards, but also to see how all these developments impacted the strategies of specific companies including carmakers, banks and food retailers.’

Emmanuel Mourlon-Druol - European University Institute

‘In this deeply researched and important book Grace Ballor unpicks broader understandings of the relationship between big business and European integration. Through granular case studies she convincingly illustrates the myriad and diverse ways in which multinationals influenced the course of European integration.’

Neil Rollings - University of Glasgow

‘Grace Ballor has delivered a deeply researched and thought-provoking book on the evolving role of multinationals in European market integration. A must-read for those wishing to understand the interplay between capitalism and democracy, and the possible future role of Europe in the world economy.’

Alain Verbeke - University of Reading, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and University of Calgary

‘Grace Ballor offers a fascinating and compelling analysis of the origins of the so-called ‘Brussels Effect,’ skilfully integrating business and political history. Drawing on newly uncovered archival materials, she demonstrates how various multinational corporations adopted divergent strategies to resist, shape, or capitalize on the process of European integration.’

Laurent Warlouzet - Paris Sorbonne University