Educating the Consumer: A History of the Marriage of Schools, Advertising, and Media Book

Moravcsik argued convincingly for the importance of national economic self-interest being the driving factor behind European integration. National governments were beholden to economic interest groups which shaped policy to a greater extent than geopolitical considerations or technocratic preaching. They pursued integration through a series of "grand bargains", resulting in significant changes about once a decade.

There are problems with the sources the author employs, particularly with regards to the Gaullist period, and these problems were subsequently uncovered in academic journals and debates. Overall, power considerations appear just as influential as economics- indeed, the two are intimately related in a way that the author does not acknowledge. As a student of Germany, this point is particularly salient, as the Federal Republic always had to walk a fine line and never reveal its economic power in all its might for fear of worrying others. Nonetheless, the book kickstarted the debate on integration theory and as such must be read by all students of European integration.