European Organised Business and European Integration in the Post-Second World War Period

Political science writings and the economic or business history literature present very different accounts of the development of European organised business interests, including European industrial federations (Eurofederations), after the Second World War. The former highlight the growth of these groups in response to European political integration while the latter recount a story of decline as international cartels became less acceptable. Here we argue that these are partial and insufficient accounts: European trade associations offered a range of valuable services to its members which helped to make sense of and deal with the uncertainties of post-war Europe and the unknown quantity of European integration. In particular, we highlight knowledge transfer and pooling and their role as social networks.