European Politics: An Introduction

Cover......Page 1
Contents......Page 8
List of illustrative material......Page 10
List of abbreviations and acronyms......Page 14
Why European politics?......Page 18
Why this book?......Page 19
Keeping it real – and up to date......Page 20
Where is it going?......Page 22
Getting started......Page 23
1 Europe: a continent in the making......Page 26
Empires into nations......Page 28
Nations into states......Page 29
States into blocs......Page 31
The new Europe......Page 35
Europe\'s economy: rich in variation......Page 37
Society: class and gender still matter......Page 45
In theory if not in practice: religion in Europe......Page 50
Composition and identity: multiethnic, multinational – and European?......Page 52
Learning resources......Page 55
Executive summary......Page 56
2 The end of the nation state? Federalism, devolution and the European Union......Page 57
Stateless nations......Page 58
Belgium: federal solution or slippery slope?......Page 60
\'Asymmetrical\' federalism: Spain......Page 63
The UK: another hybrid......Page 67
France: no longer quite so indivisible......Page 70
Origins and enlargement......Page 71
Increasing integration and institutional reform......Page 74
Integration via economics: EMU......Page 77
An EU constitution?......Page 78
The end of the nation state?......Page 79
Executive summary......Page 81
3 From government to governance: running the state, making policy and policing the constitution......Page 82
Pushing things out to the periphery: decentralization......Page 83
\'More control over less\': central government reform......Page 87
Policy-making: sectors and styles......Page 93
The booming third branch of government: the judicialization of politics......Page 98
Executive summary......Page 105
The head of state......Page 106
Prime minister, cabinet and parliamentary government......Page 108
Permutations of parliamentary government......Page 110
Government duration and stability......Page 113
Dividing the spoils: portfolio allocation......Page 114
Governing......Page 115
Parliaments: one house or two?......Page 117
Parliaments: hiring and firing......Page 118
Parliaments: the production of law......Page 120
Parliaments: scrutiny and oversight......Page 123
Parliament and government: the European level......Page 124
Parliaments, power and parties......Page 126
Learning resources......Page 128
Executive summary......Page 129
What are parties and what are they for?......Page 130
Party systems and party families......Page 131
The bases of party systems: social and institutional, luck and skill......Page 147
Party system change?......Page 148
Are parties in decline?......Page 152
The Europeanizsation of parties and party systems?......Page 154
Executive summary......Page 157
6 Elections, voting and referendums: systems, turnout, preferences and unpredictability......Page 158
Europe\'s myriad electoral systems......Page 159
Electoral systems and party systems......Page 164
Turnout: decline and variation......Page 165
Preferences: what makes people vote the way they do?......Page 168
EP elections......Page 175
Direct democracy: useful tool or dangerous panacea?......Page 177
Learning resources......Page 181
Executive summary......Page 182
7 The media: player and recorder......Page 183
Variations in usage and style......Page 184
Structure and regulation......Page 185
State and public service broadcasting......Page 188
The changing coverage of politics......Page 190
Bias and its effects......Page 197
Pressure groups and populists......Page 201
Cyberpolitics......Page 202
The media and \'Europe\'......Page 204
Executive summary......Page 207
8 Pressure politics: civil society, organized interests and new social movements......Page 208
Pressure groups: different types, different opportunities......Page 209
Pluralism and corporatism......Page 211
Farming: a real-world example of power under pressure......Page 213
There is (still) power in a union......Page 215
Taking care of business......Page 217
Rebels with a cause: NGOs and new social movements......Page 220
\'Venue shopping\' and the Europeanization of pressure politics......Page 223
Executive summary......Page 228
9 Politics over economics: enduring differences between left and right......Page 229
Has politics ever really mattered?......Page 230
Drifting to the right: the centre-left in Europe......Page 231
Privatization......Page 233
Flexible labour markets?......Page 236
Bringing an end to \'tax and spend\'?......Page 238
The EU: deadweight or driving force?......Page 241
Separating the facts from the hype......Page 244
Why it still makes sense to be different......Page 245
No easy explanations: the rise of the far right......Page 248
Executive summary......Page 250
10 Not wanted but needed: migrants and minorities......Page 251
Migration into Europe: then and now......Page 252
Europe\'s immigrants: who they are, where they come from and where they live......Page 254
Political responses: populism, priming and catch-22s......Page 260
Defusing Europe\'s \'demographic time bomb\'?......Page 264
Policy responses: towards \'Fortress Europe\'?......Page 266
Integrating citizens......Page 269
The Roma: Europe\'s oldest ethnic minority......Page 270
No settled future......Page 272
Executive summary......Page 273
Security and defence......Page 274
Foreign policy......Page 284
Europe in the developing countries......Page 287
Europe and the global environment......Page 290
Europe as a global trader......Page 291
Lest we forget: the domestication of international politics in Europe......Page 294
Executive summary......Page 296
References......Page 297
D......Page 313
H......Page 315
N......Page 316
P......Page 317
S......Page 318
Y......Page 319