The EU budget and UK contribution. (May 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Begg, Iain
• Is Part Of: National Institute economic review. Volume 236:Number 1(2016)
• Page Start: 39
• Page End: 47
• Publication Date: 2016-05
• Subjects: European Union budget -- fiscal federalism -- UK referendum on EU -- EU cohesion policy -- common agricultural policy -- own resources; F55 -- H11 -- H61; Economic history -- 1945- -- Periodicals; Economics -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; Great Britain -- Economic conditions -- 1945-1964 -- Periodicals; 330.941
• DOI: 10.1177/002795011623600106
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0027-9501

Abstract

Abstract : The European Union budget is small and fulfils only a limited range of functions, yet it provokes regular disputes among the Member States and institutions of the Union. This paper describes the structure of the budget and shows that standard theories, such as fiscal federalism, are not well-suited to analysing how the EU budget operates or the political economy behind it. The paper then looks at how much the UK contributes towards the EU budget and explains why some of the claims made about it in the public discourse are inaccurate.