Contemporary European Politics

Book excerpt: In this important new introductory textbook, José Magone provides an accessible and comprehensive introduction to contemporary European politics. The unification of the European continent since the Fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 and the collapse of communist regimes in Central and Eastern Europe has changed the nature of European politics. This book seeks to address the new European politics that emerged out of this coming together of West and East. Utilizing a pan-European comparative approach the book: covers key topics, with chapters on the history, theory, institutions, parties and party systems, interest groups, systems of interest intermediation and civil society, the impact of European public policy and the emergence of a European common and foreign policy provides detailed comparisons of the national political systems across Europe, including Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans contextualises national politics in the growing importance of European integration examines the European Union multi-level governance system approach, highlighting relationships and interactions between the global, supranational, national, regional and local levels analyses the change from modern politics, in which the nation-state was still in command of domestic politics and its own borders, to postmodern politics in which de-territorialisation , de-nationalisation and internationalisation processes have transformed the national politics of European states facilitates learning through a wide range of pedagogical features, including chapter summaries, guides to further reading, questions for revision and extensive use of maps, figures, case studies and tables. Richly illustrated throughout, this work is an indispensable resource for all students and academics of European politics.