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[email protected] www.BretwaldaBooks.com 2 The Way Out: A Comparative Analysis of Three European Recoveries From the Great Recession Abstract: The wake of the Great Recession, as well as revived economic worries in several European countries, provides an ideal setting for the review of how it manifested itself in various national contexts, as well as how recovering nations were able to pull themselves out from often devastating economic shocks. The following study aims to assess such recoveries in order to elucidate the impact of European integration upon them –an important analysis to undertake, given the rise of euroscepticism. First it will outline the research question (are nations less integrated in the European framework better equipped to respond to exogenous economic shocks?), as well as its significance to the overall ongoing process of closer integration. These, as well as the methodological approach are outlined in an Analytical Framework chapter. Second, it will navigate through three case studies of recovering European countries –Iceland, Latvia, and Ireland- and identify the factors leading to recovery, as well as their point of origin (domestic, EU, or other/international).