European Politics in Transition [antikvár]

Preface We wrote this book because of a growing awareness that it has become difficult to teach courses on European pohtics or on comparative politics more generally that are comprehensive, comprehensible, and attuned to the dramatic contemporary changes in European society. We confess that we are sometimes envious of colleagues teaching American politics who may have an entire term to study a single branch of one government. In contrast, we must introduce whole societies, draw comparisons among entire political systems, and acquaint students with a range of often unfamiliar institutions, political problems, and intellectual approaches. Increasingly, we comparativists have had to rely on articles and papers that are often too complex for students and always too scattered for instructors, or we have had to settle for textbooks that reflect a narrow and often out-dated understanding of European politics. Some mainly provide treatments of institutional arrangements. Many are limited to the "big four" — Britain, France, Italy, and West Germany — or treat whole regions of Europe without attention to the specificity of each country. Few are sufficiently up-to-date to explore the political implications ofthe economic recession and the policy responses that followed the energy crisis ofthe 1970s. None successfully bridges the gap between Eastern and Western Europe in addressing problems of democracy and economic coordination in complex industrial societies. European Politics in Transition aims to provide an accessible and comprehensive introduction to European politics by presenting the pohtical systems of Europe in terms of change and adaptation to new economic challenges and the increased social pressures that influence the processes of government. After an introductory essay that develops these themes, each of five Western European pohties — Britain, France, West Germany, Italy and Sweden — is explored in a comprehensive and readable manner.