This is a major new textbook in European politics. Comparative and up to date, it examines the problems of West European democracies in the era of the Single European Act and the Treaty of Maastricht. Allum discusses the politics of the four major Western European countries - Britain, France, Germany and Italy. He examines key institutions and developments in the light of contemporary social and political science paradigms, combining theory with empirical material. At the same time, he situates national politics within the broader context of European integration. Comparative in intent, the book is organized around themes, not countries: economy, civil society and the state. It includes chapters on the economy, social structure, political cleavages and communication, parties and groups as well as governmental institutions (executive, administration, subnational government and coercive apparatus). Each chapter is illustrated with a wealth of concrete examples. The conclusion is simply stated: 'votes count, but resources decide'. The book is intended for students of European and comparative politics, and for those concerned with the political aspects of European studies.

This is a major textbook in European politics. Comparative in approach, it examines the problems of West European democracies in the era of the Single European Act and the Treaty of Maastricht. Allum discusses the politics of the four major Western European countries - Britain, France, Germany and Italy. He examines key institutions and developments in the light of contemporary social and political science paradigms, combining theory with empirical material. At the same time, he situates national politics within the broader context of European integration. Comparative in intent, the book is organized around themes and not countries: economy, civil society and the state. It includes chapters on the economy, social structure, political cleavages and communication, parties and groups as well as governmental institutions (executive, administration, subnational government and coercive apparatus). Each chapter is illustrated with a wealth of concrete examples. The book is intended for students of European and comparative politics, and for those concerned with the political aspects of European studies.

Politics and Society in Western Europe is a comprehensive introduction for students of West European politics and of comparative politics. This new edition has been extensively revised and updated to meet with the new needs of undergraduate students as they come to terms with a changing social and political landscape in Europe. This textbook provides a full analysis of the political systems of 18 Western European countries, their political parties, elections, and party systems, as well as the structures of government at local, regional, national and European Union levels. Throughout the book, key theoretical ideas are accessibly introduced and examined against the very latest empirical data on civil society and the state.

Studies of the political languages worked out in the late Middle Ages and Early Modern age have investigated up to now above all the role of the discursive practices in the construction of class and community spaces, the definition of the relation between the various institutions, and the shaping of the forms and contents of obedience to higher powers and authorities. Gathering together the papers presented in a symposium on The Languages of the Political Society, this book widens the spectrum of analysis to take in some topics that have received less attention until now in the study of the processes of state-building in late medieval and Early Modern Europe: the formulation of the value of the common good in relation to citizenship; the linguistic, musical and theatrical vectors for expressing political relations; the control and expression of public emotions and collective feelings; and the capacity of some financial and monetary systems to translate ideals and to produce legitimacy. The book thus intends to bring to the reader’s attention some paths of research that appear particularly promising and open to further interesting developments. Le ricerche sui linguaggi politici elaborati nel tardo medioevo e nella prima età moderna hanno indagato finora soprattutto il ruolo delle pratiche discorsive nella costruzione di spazi cetuali e comunitari, nella definizione del rapporto tra le diverse istituzioni, nella modellizzazione delle forme e dei contenuti dell’obbedienza a poteri e autorità superiori. Raccogliendo gli atti di un incontro di studio su The languages of the political society, il volume propone un allargamento dello spettro di indagine ad alcuni temi finora meno indagati nello studio dei processi di formazione degli stati nell’Europa tardo medievale e moderna: l’elaborazione del valore del bene comune in relazione alla cittadinanza; i vettori linguistici, musicali e teatrali per esprimere le relazioni politiche; il controllo e l’espressione delle emozioni pubbliche e dei sentimenti collettivi; la capacità di dei sistemi finanziari e monetari di tradurre idealità e di produrre legittimità. Il volume intende dunque proporre all’attenzione dei lettori alcuni percorsi di ricerca che appaiono particolarmente promettenti e suscettibili di ulteriori interessanti sviluppi.