Taking a broad, interdisciplinary approach, Malcolm Levitt and Christopher Lord provide a systematic assessment of the inextricably linked politics and economics of monetary union. The authors first look at the historical and conceptual background and the evolution of thinking on the single currency from the Maastricht model, through the decisions on membership and establishment of the Central Bank, to the introduction of the Euro. They then proceed to assess the organizational and policy implications of EMU and its significance within the general processes of European integration.