Handbook Of European Societies

European integration is one of the most ambitious and socially far-reaching developments in world politics and in world economics. Against growing opposition and despite increasing social heterogeneity, the European Union continues to expand and to acquire new competences. But to what extent is the self-proclaimed "ever closer union among the peoples of Europe" a social reality? In which ways is the political European project anchored in social developments? How does social change impinge upon political integration? Societal trends in multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and socially diverse Europe have never been studied systematically. Handbook of European Societies: Social Transformations in the 21st Century sets to rectify this neglect of societal developments in Europe, providing a groundwork for the sociology of European integration. The book portrays social life and social relations in the enlarged Europe, and gives a perspective on the European Union as an evolving social entity. Handbook of European Societies is a pioneering source book analyzing the current social patterns on the continent. It covers a representative selection of major topics of social concern and sociological relevance, such as Collective Action, Consumption, Identity, Power Structure, Sexuality, Stratification and Well-being. Each contribution probes key developments in a strictly comparative manner. The Handbook thus offers a detailed look into the intricacies of the national societies of Europe and into the prospect of an emerging European society. The Editors have enlisted leading researchers to synthesize existing knowledge and to make use of many different data sources in a straight-forward style. The contributions stay away from jargon, simple labeling and sweeping assertions. Instead, they provide solid and accessible information on a wide variety of social trends and processes within and across European societies

European integration is one of the most ambitious and socially far-reaching developments in world politics and in world economics. Against growing opposition and despite increasing social heterogeneity, the European Union continues to expand and to acquire new competences. But to what extent is the self-proclaimed "ever closer union among the peoples of Europe" a social reality? In which ways is the political European project anchored in social developments? How does social change impinge upon political integration? Societal trends in multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and socially diverse Europe have never been studied systematically. Handbook of European Societies: Social Transformations in the 21st Century sets to rectify this neglect of societal developments in Europe, providing a groundwork for the sociology of European integration. The book portrays social life and social relations in the enlarged Europe, and gives a perspective on the European Union as an evolving social entity. Handbook of European Societies is a pioneering source book analyzing the current social patterns on the continent. It covers a representative selection of major topics of social concern and sociological relevance, such as Collective Action, Consumption, Identity, Power Structure, Sexuality, Stratification and Well-being. Each contribution probes key developments in a strictly comparative manner. The Handbook thus offers a detailed look into the intricacies of the national societies of Europe and into the prospect of an emerging European society. The Editors have enlisted leading researchers to synthesize existing knowledge and to make use of many different data sources in a straight-forward style. The contributions stay away from jargon, simple labeling and sweeping assertions. Instead, they provide solid and accessible information on a wide variety of social trends and processes within and across European societies.

This book focuses on social transformations as one of the central topics in the social sciences. The study of European social transformations is very valuable in the context of universal discussions within social sciences: explaining invariable, universal attributes of societies and examining changing attributes. The book consists of 20 chapters on European social transformations, written from the perspectives of distinguished scholars from such disciplines as economics, political science, educational science, geography, media and communication studies, public management and administration, social psychology and sociology. The temporal and spatial range of the book is wide, including such global changes as time-space compression, focusing particularly on change processes in Europe during the last two decades. The book consists of four main parts, beginning with an overview of the theoretical and methodological approaches, and then focusing separately on post-communist transformations, institutional drivers of social transformations in the European Union, and European transformations in the context of global processes. The book presents current theoretical, empirical and methodological approaches that complement the scientific literature on social transformations. This book is both an invaluable resource for scholars and an indispensable teaching tool for use in the classroom and will be of interest to students, academics, and policy-makers studying how this diverse region has changed over recent years.

Does it make sense to speak of a European society, above and beyondits component states and regions? In this major new book WilliamOuthwaite argues that it does. He goes beyond the study ofindividual states and specific regions of Europe to examine thechanging contours of the continent as a whole, at a time whenEurope is beginning to look and act more like a singleentity. In what we have come to call Europe there developed distinctiveforms of political, economic, and more broadly social organisation- many of course building on elements drawn from more advancedcivilisations elsewhere in the world. During the centuries ofEuropean dominance these forms were often exported to other worldregions, where the export versions often surpassed the originalones. In the present century many features of European life remaindistinctive: the European welfare or social model, a substantiallysecularised culture, and particular forms of democratic politicsand of the relations between politics and the economy. This bookprovides a concise overview and analysis of these features whichcontinue to make Europe a relatively distinctive region of globalmodernity. The book will become a key text for students taking courses oncontemporary Europe, whether these are in departments of politics,sociology, literature or European Studies. It will also be of greatinterest to anyone living in, or concerned with, Europe today.

An overview of the trajectory of European societies, East and West, since the end of World War II. This text addresses the questions that underpin an understanding of the nature of European modernity: to what extent has the period 1945-2000 produced change and what are the areas of continuity.

′This volume is one to which anyone trying to make sense of the EU of the early 21st century will return again and again. A terrific line-up that combines diverse talents from North America and Europe. Few books of this kind could live up to the billing ′definitive benchmark′, but this one certainly does′ - John Peterson, University of Edinburgh ′A most useful book that can be highly recommended. A strong analytical framework coupled with unparalleled coverage of the major issues of the political science research of the EU makes this volume a formidable tool for teaching and a significant input to new scholarly research. It is both relatively sophisticated and very accessible to graduate students and advanced researchers. The clear writing style and the richness of information presented will certainly make this book interesting for non-academic readers′ - Igor Vidacak, Institute for International Relations, Zagreb - Journal of Common Market Studies ′An admirably comprehensive source book for those interested in how the tools of political science inspire EU area studies. The editors enlist leading researchers to synthesize the state of the art in their field of expertise. The Handbook of European Union Politics will be an indispensable intellectual resource for researchers, teachers, and graduate students of the European Union′ - Liesbet Hooghe, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA ′Presents an excellent overview of political science research on the EU. It finds the right balance between establishing the state of the art and pointing the reader to theoretical diversity. Highly recommended for advanced students and scholars looking for quick and solid orientation in a fragmented field - and for new ideas for research′ - Frank Schimmelfennig, ETH Zurich, Switzerland ′This is a milestone in the study of EU politics. The authors include the most knowledgeable practitioners in the field, and collectively they provide a comprehensive and highly competent overview of the state of theory and research on EU institutions, politics and policies′ - Fritz Scharpf, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Germany The European Union (EU) poses quite profound questions for scholars and students of the social and political sciences. This benchmark handbook is designed to: - provide an authoritative state-of-the art guide to the scope of the field suitable for both established scholars and students of the EU - reflect and contribute to the debates about the nature of the field of EU studies and EU politics in particular - explore in detail the development of the many approaches to the study of EU politics. Divided into four sections, the Handbook focuses on theorizing European integration; the EU as polity; politics and policy making in the EU; and the EU and the international system. Its appeal will reside not only in its comprehensive and authoritative coverage of the field, but also in the quality of its contributors, and the diversity of theoretical and methodological approaches included. The resulting volume is a ′must have′ for all scholars and advanced students of the EU and European integration.

The European Union is the first full-length treatment of European integration from a sociological perspective. It redirects the core concerns of political sociology away from nationally bounded societies towards a "sociology beyond societies," capable of making a valuable contribution to thinking about the nature and problems of the European Union. Within this broad objective the book concerns itself with such key issues as the relation between the EU and globalization, the nature of the EU state, and the question of whether a European society can be said to exist. Students, scholars, and sociologists interested in the history, development, and legacies of the European Union will find this to be a unique and informative text.

This accessible new text introduces students to contemporary European societies by examining structures of inequality, making sense of the empirical and historical contexts. Focusing on seven differing European societies (France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Sweden and the UK), it examines the different ways in which sociology and political economy understand the social structure of contemporary Europe. Separate chapters outline key aspects of inequality, beginning with income, wealth and poverty, followed by occupation and social class, gender, regional inequality, ethnicity, and migration. By focusing on the role of the national welfare states of Europe in restraining economic inequality, the book enables a realistic appraisal of the ‘European Social Model’. Key features: Examines European ‘distinctiveness’ and difference; Visual presentation of data accessibly informs the reader about distinctive features of specific societies; Comparative approach extends to evaluate the extent to which Europe differs from the USA; Illustrates how the UK’s half-hearted relationship to ‘Europe’ is not just a matter of history or politics but also of contemporary social structure; Key in-text features include discussion topics and key readings. This textbook will be essential reading for students of European studies, European politics, European societies, social inequality/structure, European welfare and policy and more broadly to sociology and public policy and administration.