Political institutions in Europe, 2nd ed.

Book abstract:

This volume is both a revised and updated country-by-country guide through, and analysis of, European political institutions and democracies. The new edition incorporates a fresh introduction and an extra chapter on the European Union's (EU) institutions themselves. Compiled by leading European thinkers and political scientists in the field, the work sets out from the argument that despite the successful growth and consolidation of democracies throughout Europe in the latter stages of the twentieth century, democracy itself is coming under increasing criticism, particularly due to its problems in managing economies sufficiently.

The book attempts, where appropriate, a comparative study of the countries and political institutions under analysis, situating all these in their historical context. The countries chosen for study are as follows: the UK and Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal, the Low countries and the Nordic countries. After the introduction, which partly attempts to explain and lay down the theoretical and analytical framework for the studies, each subsequent chapter moves, topic-by-topic, fairly systematically through each Member State. This means that despite the political and institutional problems and peculiarities of each separate country itself, there is generally coverage of the electoral system, political parties and the party system, the parliamentary system, government and bureaucracy, intergovernmental relations and questions of reform in each chapter. The last chapter deals more broadly with the EU and what the editor, Josep M. Colomer, calls the 'making' of a more federalist Europe.

The book is intended as a reference resource for students of European political institutions.