Martin Rhodes Boeken

Western Europe is changing fast and dramatically. The traditional models of nation-state politics have been challenged by increasing political and economic integration in the European Union, the end of the Cold War division of the continent, the emergence of a global political economy and of new forms of ethnic and cultural identity. All aspects of political life have been affected, from institutions and policies, to party systems, values and beliefs. Developments in West European Politics brings together specially commissioned chapters by leading authorities to provide a tightly integrated analysis of politics, government and public policy set in a broad economic and social context. Its core focus is on the extent to which a new multilevel system of governance is emerging, its character and its implications.

This replacement volume of Developments in West European Politics adopts a reconceived framework focusing centrally on the capacity, legitimacy, effectiveness and resilience of the states of Western Europe and the challenges they face at the start of the 21st century. Bringing together specially commissioned chapters by leading authorities it should be useful reading for students and specialists alike.

This major new text brings together specially-commissioned chapters by leading authorities on European politics--East and West--to provide a systematic assessment of developments in political institutions and processes, politics and society, and policy set in the context of globalization, EU enlargement and Europe's changing role on the world stage. Carefully planned and edited by an international team of editors, it will, like its predecessor volumes on Developments in West European Politics, be essential reading for students and scholars.