BOOK REVIEW

Globalization and Regional Integration

The Origins, Development and Impact of
the Single European Aviation Market
How did the European airline market develop from an internation-
al system based on bilateral agreements into a single transnation-
al aviation market? In ‘Globalization and Regional Integration’,
Alan P. Dobson draws on an extensive collection of European doc-
uments – including interviews with officials and airline executives
and some personal documentation – to answer the formative ques-
tion behind this book. ‘Globalization and Regional Integration’ is
most certainly a worthwhile read, but it will have to be used along-
side other books if one wishes to obtain a refined picture of the
evolutions in the European aviation market.

A book review by Lomme Devriendt

Alan P. Dobson examines how the The structure is straightforward. After a overriding importance for further policy
European airline industry transformed short introduction, Dobson begins his his- decisions. All these key trends are not
from national fragmentation (1957) to a torical overview with a discussion of the covered in the book. The author con-
point where the European Commission consequences of the Treaty of Rome, cedes this limitation in his conclusions:
could negotiate on behalf of its 25 mem- which forms the early beginnings of the “after explaining how the single
ber states with the United States for an European Economic Community (25 European aviation market came about, it
Open Aviation Area (2006). Throughout March 1957). The following chapters fol- is rather a sad note to end with predicting
the book, the author presents a thorough low a simple, linear path in time: each that it must all change again.” (p. 189).
examination of the most important chapter deals with a crucial breaking point Taken together, this implies that, in spite
stakeholders that have influenced this until Dobson reaches the discussion of the of its many merits, this extensive study
sweeping evolution, i.e. the influence of recent transformation of the European will have to be read alongside other
airline companies, the relevance of the aviation market in an EU/US Open recent aviation policy information for
EU and US aviation policy, etc. The Aviation Area (Dec. 2006). The only obtaining a clear picture of the entire
book takes a rather different approach exception to this straightforward structure European civil aviation system.
than other contributions, in which is the final chapter, in which Dobson
researchers seek to explain why matters offers some concluding thoughts and per- In conclusion, the usefulness of this
unfolded the way they did and pushed spectives on the future of aviation policy. study lies in the extensive and well-
the European airline market steadily This relatively short conclusion does not researched background it offers. It pro-
towards further integration. really live up to the broad historical pic- vides a clear understanding of the origins
ture offered in the remainder of the book, and subsequent evolutions in European
This book, in contrast, offers a detailed since the discussion of several anticipated airline regulation. Any student or
and conscientious historical overview of policy developments is limited at best. researcher interested in European avia-
how and when policy developments tion policy should read and turn to this
occurred in the European civil aviation This third book of Dobson is, as the book for future work.
system. The rationale behind this author states, his last full-length study in
approach is quite simply that we can airline aviation. The evolution of About the Author
learn from history, and this book, there- European aviation regulation is, howev- Alan P. Dobson is Professor of Politics and the
Director of the Institute for Transatlantic
fore, basically presents a genealogy of er, far from over. The airline industry is European and American Studies at the
the aviation policy in the European expanding quickly and is constantly University of Dundee, Scotland. He is also
Union in the last half century. This his- changing, and it is therefore easy to see author of ‘Peaceful Air Warfare’ (Oxford) and
torical sketch is framed around four how such a historical sketch will quickly ‘Flying in the Face of Competition’ (Avebury).
(allegedly crucial) sets of actors and become outdated Furthermore, current
About the Reviewer
institutions, i.e. the member countries, trends such as the Open Skies agreement Lomme Devriendt is Aspirant of the Flemish
European institutions, aviation interests, between the European Union and the Fund for Scientific Research. He is a member of
and market forces. The ever-changing United States (signed on 30 April 2007) the editorial review board of Aerlines Magazine.
interplay between these four forces has, will affect the European aviation policy
according to Dobson, influenced the in no uncertain way, while the problems Book Information
Publisher: Routledge
way in which the single European avia- related to excessive greenhouse gas Publishing date: June 2007
tion market has developed. emissions, aircraft noise, and other envi- ISBN: 9780415373388
ronmental impacts will likely become of http://www.taylorandfrancis.co.uk

e-zine edition, Issue 38 1