Analysing the Prosperity Gap: The Economic, Legal, and Political Challenges Facing the EU

In this chapter we describe the EUs social dimension and its development aimed at an understanding of the prosperity gap in the EU. We identify the new social challenges the Union faces in the wake of the three ongoing intertwined developments: the financial and economic crisis, the refugee crisis and the Brexit process. An analytical point of departure for examining these challenges is proposed – an interdisciplinary approach that pinpoints a number of overarching problems and possibilities associated with the social dimension of European integration. Finally, we introduce the different chapters of the book and summarize the key policy recommendations provided therein for how to bridge the prosperity gap in the EU.