Politics in Europe. An introduction to the politics of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Russia and the European Union, 3rd ed.

Book abstract:

A book intended for the student of European comparative politics. The text allows for the systematic comparative analysis of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and (a new addition for the 3rd edition) Russia. In addition, there is a separate similarly structured chapter on the European Union, included to reflect its evolving role in the domestic and economic politics of its Member States.

Each chapter is written by a country specialist and addresses the following themes: the context of national politics (including basic geographic and demographic factors, history and political culture); Where is the power? (formal decision-making and implementation structures); Who has the power? (political parties, organised interest groups, and electoral power; How is power used?; The future of politics under changing domestic and international conditions. Accompanying the country sections are photographs, tables, graphs, statistics and further reading suggestions. The same structure is used in this 3rd edition of the book for the chapter on the European Union.

Together, the chapters present an up-to-date introduction to contemporary European politics and government.