Thoroughly updated, Politics in Europe remains an approachable, yet rigorous introduction to the region. Its strong analytic framework and organization, coupled with detailed country coverage, ensure that students not only get a robust introduction to each country, but also are able to make meaningful cross-national comparisons.
Key updates include: an expanded introduction that situates European politics within a comparative framework; more substantive discussions in the Future of... chapters; the latest in European politics, including the election in Britain, the aftermath of the deaths of Polish government leaders, the financial crisis affecting Greece and other European countries, and more; updates of key social and political issues including immigration, gender, religion, civic society, and trans-Atlantic relations; and up-to-date tables and figures with key cross-national data.
This book is an excellent text book on Politics in Europe, looking in particular at the UK, France, Germany, Sweden, Poland, Russia and then the EU. For the countries covered it provides a very thorough description of their political systems, history, the shape of their politics and everything you need to understand their political situation.
My only criticism of this book is that I would have liked to have read something about all the other countries in Europe - but that would have made a large book enormous, so I see why the editors chose to look at a carefully curated selection instead.
The list price of this book is high. I got a bargain copy of an old edition in a book clearance, and would suggest getting a library copy if you can't find a cheap or second hand one. All the same, if this were your course text it would be worth the money as it has great reference value.
A great and updated book on a number of European countries that include not just the usual ones of the UK, France, and Germany, but also Italy, Sweden, and Poland. A great reference for comparative politics.