West European Politics in the Age of Globalization

by HanspeterKriesi (Author), EdgarGrande (Author), TimotheosFrey (Author), SimonBornschier (Author), Martin Dolezal (Author), RomainLachat (Author)

New
Paperback
2008
$34.24

Over the past three decades the effects of globalization and denationalization have created a division between 'winners' and 'losers' in Western Europe. This study examines the transformation of party political systems in six countries (Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK) using opinion surveys, as well as newly collected data on election campaigns. The authors argue that, as a result of structural transformations and the strategic repositioning of political parties, Europe has observed the emergence of a tripolar configuration of political power, comprising the left, the moderate right, and the new populist right. They suggest that, through an emphasis on cultural issues such as mass immigration and resistance to European integration, the traditional focus of political debate - the economy - has been downplayed or reinterpreted in terms of this new political cleavage. This new analysis of Western European politics will interest all students of European politics and political sociology.

Synopsis

Over the past three decades the effects of globalization and denationalization have created a division between 'winners' and 'losers' in Western Europe. This study examines the transformation of party political systems in six countries (Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK) using opinion surveys, as well as newly collected data on election campaigns. The authors argue that, as a result of structural transformations and the strategic repositioning of political parties, Europe has observed the emergence of a tripolar configuration of political power, comprising the left, the moderate right, and the new populist right. They suggest that, through an emphasis on cultural issues such as mass immigration and resistance to European integration, the traditional focus of political debate - the economy - has been downplayed or reinterpreted in terms of this new political cleavage. This new analysis of Western European politics will interest all students of European politics and political sociology.

$34.24

Quantity

10 in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 448
Edition: 1
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 18 Sep 2008
ISBN 10: 0521719909
ISBN 13: 9780521719902
Book Overview: Examines the new configuration of political power in Western Europe, as the radical right mobilises globalisation's losers.

Media Reviews

'This book provides the best analysis I have seen of the political repercussions of globalization for voters, for political parties, and for the structure of political competition. The authors explain why different countries experience globalization in different ways, and they underpin their conclusions with an impressive diversity of data. A tour de force that will shape the study of European politics for years to come.' Gary Marks, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and Free University of Amsterdam
'...this book is both theoretically fruitful and methodologically innovative. It raises many interesting research questions and it should spur future work ... This book should appeal to scholars of party systems, political parties, electoral politics and globalization.' The Journal of Politics
'... warmly welcomed ... the book makes an impressive and stimulating contribution to the extant literature and will be of interest to comparativists and national specialists alike.' Political Studies Review
This book provides the best analysis I have seen of the political repercussions of globalization for voters, for political parties, and for the structure of political competition. The authors explain why different countries experience globalization in different ways, and they underpin their conclusions with an impressive diversity of data. A tour de force that will shape the study of European politics for years to come. Gary Marks, Burton Craige Professor, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Chair in Multilevel Governance, Free University of Amsterdam

Author Bio

Hanspeter Kriesi is Professor for Comparative Politics in the Institute of Political Science at the University of Zurich. Edgar Grande is Professor for Comparative Politics in the Geschwister-Scholl-Institute for Political Science at the University of Munich. Romain Lachat is a visiting scholar at the Department of Politics of New York University. Martin Dolezal is a researcher in the Geschwister-Scholl-Institute for Political Science at the University of Munich. Simon Bornscher is a researcher in the Institute of Political Science at the University of Zurich. Timotheos Frey is a researcher in the Institute of Political Science at the University of Zurich.