European Politics Today

The first truly pan-European survey of contemporary European politics that includes nations from both Western and Eastern Europeas well as a separate chapter on the European Union, European Politics Today continues to offer the most current scholarship available. Written by foremost scholars in the field, the book examines questions about the foundations and processes of democratic government, and then compares the experiences of seven nations in Western and Eastern Europe. This framework provides a basis for comparing political values, institutions and processes across Europe.Four conceptual chapters (Chapters 1-4) provide an overview of comparative analysis, European societies, their citizens, and political institutions. The seven detailed country studies (Chapters 5-11) are written by pre-eminent specialists on those nations, ensuring that students have the most reliable information and insights into those countries."Current political issues" sections at the beginning of each country chapter discuss the contemporary problems facing that nation. These issue sections help to intrigue students in the material and set them up to understand how the political systems in each country address the problems. Example boxes are featured in each chapter providing students with current and topical examples that illustrate key concepts and theories in the text, increasing student interest and adding visual appeal to the layout of the book. A "Country Bio" at the start of each chapter gives students a quick factual overview of the nation -- its size, social composition, leadership, etc. - in order to situate the reader before they begin a country study. Internet links are at the end of each chapter, enabling students to locate government agencies, news media and other online information sources for the nations discussed in the book.