Contemporary European Politics ─ A Comparative Introduction

In this important new introductory textbook, José Magone provides an accessible and comprehensive introduction to contemporary European politics.
The unification of the European continent since the Fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 and the collapse of communist regimes in Central and Eastern Europe has changed the nature of European politics. This book seeks to address the new European politics that emerged out of this coming together of West and East.
Utilizing a pan-European comparative approach the book:

covers key topics, with chapters on the history, theory, institutions, parties and party systems, interest groups, systems of interest intermediation and civil society, the impact of European public policy and the emergence of a European common and foreign policy
provides detailed comparisons of the national political systems across Europe, including Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans
contextualises national politics in the growing importance of European integration
examines the European Union multi-level governance system approach, highlighting relationships and interactions between the global, supranational, national, regional and local levels
analyses the change from modern politics, in which the nation-state was still in command of domestic politics and its own borders, to postmodern politics in which de-territorialisation , de-nationalisation and internationalisation processes have transformed the national politics of European states
facilitates learning through a wide range of pedagogical features, including chapter summaries, guides to further reading, questions for revision and extensive use of maps, figures, case studies and tables.
Richly illustrated throughout, this work is an indispensable resource for all students and academics of European politics.

José M. Magone is Professor in Regional and Global Governance at the Berlin School of Economics. He was previously Reader in European Politics at the University of Hull. Among his publications are Politics of Southern Europe (2003), The Developing Place of Portugal in the European Union (2004), The New World Architecture (2006) and Contemporary Spanish Politics (Second Edition, 2009)

1. Introduction to Contemporary European Politics 2. The Historical Development of European Politics 3. The Transformation of European Politics 4. National Politics and the European Union 5. Government in Europe 6. The Diversity of Parliamentarianism in Europe 7. Towards the European Public Administrative Space: The Europeanization of National Governance 8. Judicial Power in Multi-level Europe 9. Regional and Local Government in Multi-Level Europe 10. Political Parties 11. Electoral Systems and Party Systems 12. Interest Groups, Systems of Interest Intermediation and Civil Society 13. Convergence of National Policy Styles: The Role of the European Union 14. The Intertwinedness of National and European Foreign Policy 15. Conclusions: Reinventing Europe