West European Politics articles from January 2004

West European Politics archives from January 2004

The Italian party system between parties and coalitions.
January 1, 2004... Italy adopted its new mixed electoral system in 1993 (D'Alimonte and Chiaramonte 1995; Katz 2000), and since then there have been three general elections--in 1994, 1996 and 2001. After the elections of 1996 it was still too soon to detect any...

Swiss worlds of welfare.
January 1, 2004... Like most federal countries, Switzerland has developed over the years a multi-tiered system of social protection, where financing, decision making powers and implementation are shared between the different levels of government. The present...

Believing in national exceptionalism: ideas and economic divergence in Southern Europe.
January 1, 2004... National exceptionalism is the bete noire of political science, and quite deservedly so. Treating a country as exceptional before all efforts to classify it into a group have failed contravenes the entire project of comparative politics....

Civil service reform in post-communist Europe: the bumpy road to depoliticisation.
January 1, 2004... Political science literature that concentrates on processes of democratisation and marketisation in post-communist Europe tends to regard the establishment of a professional, de-politicised civil service as a prerequisite for the success of the...

Increasing women's political representation: the limits of constitutional reform.
January 1, 2004... In June 1999, the members of the two houses of the French parliament met at Versailles to pass a bill of constitutional reform. The bill modified articles 3 and 4 of the French constitution, and stated that the law should henceforward 'favour...

The regulation of political financing in Portugal.
January 1, 2004... The recent political scandals that have surfaced in Portugal cannot be understood without reference to the growing impropriety surrounding party and elections financing and the difficult road to regulating political activities. The complexity...

Belgium stays 'purple': the 2003 federal election.(Elections in Context)
January 1, 2004... The Belgian federal election of 18 May 2003, unlike the 1999 'monster' election, was solely an election to the Federal Parliament (House of Representatives and the 40 directly elected members of the Senate). Elections to the Regional and...

The Dutch Parliamentary elections of 2003.
January 1, 2004... At the elections for the Second Chamber of Parliament held on 15 May 2002, the List Pim Fortuyn (LPF) achieved astounding success (see also Acta Politica 2003; Van Holsteyn and Irwin 2003). The party came from nowhere to gain 26 of the 150...

Civic Literacy: How Informed Citizens Make Democracy Work.(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... Civic Literacy: How Informed Citizens Make Democracy Work. By HENRY MILNER. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 2002. Pp.293 + ix. 19.95 [pounds sterling] (paper) ISBN 1-58465-173-3. Milner's subtitle tells us it is not social...

Passionate Politics: Emotions and Social Movements.(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... Passionate Politics: Emotions and Social Movements. Edited by JEFF GOODWIN, JAMES M. JASPER and FRANCESCA POLLETTA. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 2001. Pp.xii + 370, biblio, index. 38 [pounds sterling] (cloth) ISBN...

Political Parties in Advanced Industrial Democracies.(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... Political Parties in Advanced Industrial Democracies. Edited by PAUL WEBB, DAVID FARRELL and IAN HOLLIDAY. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002, pp.xvi + 471, 7 figs, 113 tables, index, 55 [pounds sterling] (cloth) ISBN 0-19-924055-8; 19.99...

High-Intensity Participation: the Dynamics of Party Activism in Britain.(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... High-Intensity Participation: The Dynamics of Party Activism in Britain. By PAUL F. WHITELEY and PATRICK SEYD. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2002. Pp.258, 10 figs, 52 tables, biblio, index. 41 [pounds sterling] (cloth) ISBN...

The French and Italian Communist Parties. Comrades and Culture.(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... The French and Italian Communist Parties. Comrades and Culture. By CYRILLE GUIAT. London: Frank Cass, 2003. Pp.209 39.50 [pounds sterling] (cloth) ISBN 0-7146-5332-2. There are two interconnected themes in the comparative study of the...

Iberian Trade Unionism Democratisation Under the Impact of the European Union.(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... Iberian Trade Unionism Democratisation Under the Impact of the European Union. By JOSE M. MAGONE. London: Transaction Publishers, 2001. Pp.320. 40.50 [pounds sterling] (cloth) ISBN 0-7658-0077-2. This book offers a timely contribution to...

The Politics of Memory: Transitional Justice in Democratizing Societies.(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... The Politics of Memory: Transitional Justice in Democratizing Societies. Edited by ALEXANDRA BARAHONA DE BRITO, CARMEN GONZALES-ENRIQUES and PALOMA AGUILAR. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 20001. Pp.xxv + 413, 3 tables, 1 fig., biblio, survey,...

Bosnia-Herzegovina: the End of a Legacy.(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... Bosnia-Herzegovina: The End of a Legacy. By NEVEN ANDJELIC. London: Frank Cass, 2003. Pp.230. 45 [pounds sterling] (cloth) ISBN 0-7146-5485-X; 18.50 [pounds sterling] (paper) ISBN 0-7146-8431-7. Neven Andjelic's book is a solid contribution...

Politische Opposition. Theorie und Praxis in westlichen Regierungssystemen.(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... Politische Opposition. Theorie und Praxis in westlichen Regierungssystemen. By LUDGER HELMS. Opladen: Leske + Budrich, 2002. Pp.212, biblio. 10.20 [euro] (paper) ISBN 3-8100-3173-9. This book examines a selected sample of countries on the...

Leaders' Personalities and the Outcomes of Democratic Elections.(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... Leaders' Personalities and the Outcomes of Democratic Elections. Edited by ANTHONY KING. Oxford: Oxford University Press 2002. Pp.232, biblio. 40 [pounds sterling] (cloth) ISBN 0-19-829791-2; 14.99 [pounds sterling] (paper) ISBN 0-19-925313-7....

Exit Polder Model? Socioeconomic Changes in the Netherlands.(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... Exit Polder Model? Socioeconomic Changes in The Netherlands. By LEI DELSEN. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2002. Pp.xii + 234, biblio, index. $68.95 (cloth) ISBN 0-275-97700-5 Not so long ago international observers routinely described the...

Between Europeanization and Local Societies.(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... Between Europeanization and Local Societies. Edited by JEANIE BUKOWSKI, SIMONA PIATTONI and MARC SMYRL. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield, 2003. Pp.204. 24.95 [pounds sterling] ISBN 0-7425-0082-9. The theme of this collection is the adaptation...

Social Democracy and Labour Market Policy.(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... Social Democracy and Labour Market Policy. By KNUT RODER. London: Routledge, 2003. Pp.xiv + 300, 1 table, 17 figs, biblio, index, 60 [pounds sterling] (cloth) ISBN 0-415-29977-2. For political parties in a representative democracy, keeping...

On Different Tracks. Designing Railway Regulation in Britain and Germany.(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... On Different Tracks. Designing Railway Regulation in Britain and Germany. By MARTIN LODGE. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2002. Pp.x + 219, 5 tables, biblio, index, 53.95 [pounds sterling] (cloth) ISBN 0-275-97601-7. Martin Lodge's book is an...

West European Immigration and Immigrant Policy in the New Century.(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... West European Immigration and Immigrant Policy in the New Century. Edited by ANTHONY M. MESSINA. Westport, CT and London: Praeger Publishers, 2002. Pp.269, 9 figs, 22 tables, biblio, index, 54.50 [pounds sterling] (cloth) ISBN 0-275-97192-9 ...