The last half-century has been a defining period for the development of political science in Europe: disciplinary norms have become institutionalized in professional organizations, training units, and research centres; the scholarly community has dramatically grown in size across the continent; the analytical and methodological tools of the discipline are increasingly sophisticated; and the knowledge disseminated under the label "political science" is bigger than it has ever been. Political Science in Europe takes stock of these developments and reflects on the achievements of the discipline, and the challenges it faces. Is there a distinctive "European" blend of political science? Is the European political science community cohesive and inclusive? How does the discipline cope with the neoliberalisation of academia, and the diffusion of illiberal politics? Leading and up-and-coming political scientists answer these questions by discussing the discipline's key concepts and intellectual trends, its professional structures, and its relationship with its social, economic, and political environment.

This volume is the definite statement on the current state of political science as a discipline in Western Europe. Detailfour chapters portray European developments. To know about the historical development, the organization of teaching and research, professional communication, and the chances of students of political science in the job market is of essential importance to political scientists, university administrators, and policy makers national, European, and global. This is particularly true after the Bologna Declaration when universities across Europe were asked to adopt (1) a system of easily readable and comparable degrees, (2) a system based on two cycles, (3) the establishment of a common system of credits, (4) to increase student and teacher mobility, (5) to assure quality standards, and (6) to improve the European dimension in teaching. The book informs on these general issues and reports country specific developments.

The book will survey the recent development and current “state of the art” of political science in post-communist Central and Eastern Europe. It will comprise (a) three comparative overviews: Political Science and Regime Change in East-Central Europe from the 20th to the 21st Century; Analytical and Normative Elements in Political Science Approaches: Is there a Specific Central-East European Pattern?; Political Science Associations in East-Central Europe: How Important, how much International Cooperation?; (b) 20 detailed and comparable country reports: Albania, Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, and Ukraine; (c) a chapter on the European Confederation of Political Science Associations. The country reports will include tables on political science faculty, students with political science as a major, and sub-fields taught at both state and private universities (as per the end of 2008). They will cover the following topics: Institutionalization of the discipline; achievements, deficits, prevailing approaches, and funding of research in the discipline’s sub-fields; curricula, admission regulation, and degree system in political science teaching; national representation and international cooperation (major journals and published books, political science associations, international links); public impact of the discipline, labor market, challenges and opportunities.

This open access book offers a systematic survey of the attitudes and values of European political scientists. It builds a structural interpretation based on empirical data, as well as offering reflections on the future structure of the discipline. In the middle of a delicate phase of changes marked by the effects of pandemic and the war in Ukraine, we need to pay attention to the factors that are affecting not only the ‘objects’ of Political Science as a discipline but also its interactions with the world around it. First, this book asks to what extent the work of European political scientists is impacted by the current change. Second, their attitudes and predisposition about the future goals of the discipline are analysed. In the final chapter, the authors seek to understand to what extent a diffuse but still not completely institutionalized academic discipline will be able to produce a comprehensive impact around the European society, in order to be more visible and effective in policy making and policy processes.

This book arises out of a specially commissioned issue of West European Politics marking the journal's 30th anniversary. It examines the profound changes in the European political landscape over the last three decades, including the fall of Communism; progressive European integration; territorial restructuring; public sector reforms at European, national, regional and local levels; changes in democratic participation, protest, elections, political communication, political parties and party competition; and challenges to the welfare state. The book also discusses how political science has responded to these changes in terms of its substantive focus, concepts, methods and theories. Many of the 17 contributions included identify important challenges for the future, including those stemming from EU integration, the reduced electoral accountability of politicians, the problematic legitimation of party government and the sharpening of the edges of the state. Contributors include K. A. Anderson, F. C. Castles, C. Crouch, M. Egeberg. M. Ferrera, H. Goetz, L. Hooghe, E. M. Immergut, R. F. Inglehart, M. Keating, H.-D. Klingemann H. Kriesi, M. Lodge, J. Lovenduski, P. Mair, G. Marks, Y. Mény, L. Morlino, H. Obinger, V. A. Schmidt, P. C. Schmitter, and G. Smith. This book was published as a special issue of West European Politics.

With entries from leading international scholars from around the world, this eight-volume encyclopedia offers the widest possible coverage of key areas both regionally and globally. The International Encyclopedia of Political Science provides a definitive, comprehensive picture of all aspects of political life, recognizing the theoretical and cultural pluralism of our approaches and including findings from the far corners of the world. The eight volumes cover every field of politics, from political theory and methodology to political sociology, comparative politics, public policies, and international relations. Entries are arranged in alphabetical order, and a list of entries by subject area appears in the front of each volume for ease of use. The encyclopedia contains a detailed index as well as extensive bibliographical references. Filling the need for an exhaustive overview of the empirical findings and reflections on politics, this reference resource is suited for undergraduate or graduate students who wish to be informed effectively and quickly on their field of study, for scholars seeking information on relevant research findings in their area of specialization or in related fields, and for lay readers who may lack a formal background in political science but have an interest in the field nonetheless. The International Encyclopedia of Political Science provides an essential, authoritative guide to the state of political science at the start of the 21st century and for decades to come, making it an invaluable resource for a global readership, including researchers, students, citizens, and policy makers. The encyclopedia was developed in partnership with the International Political Science Association. Key Themes: Case and Area Studies Comparative Politics, Theory, and Methods Democracy and Democratization Economics Epistemological Foundations Equality and Inequality Gender and Race/Ethnicity International Relations Local Government Peace, War, and Conflict Resolution People and Organizations Political Economy Political Parties Political Sociology Public Policy and Administration Qualitative Methods Quantitative Methods Religion

It has long been realized that democratic governance requires a two-way flow of influence. Governments must be able to respond to what people want and people must be able to react to what governments do. These mechanisms of democratic governance have contributed to two research traditions: one, the responsible party approach, views policy change as a consequence of ‘electoral turnover’; and the other, the dynamic representation approach, views policy change as occurring in ‘rational anticipation’ of electoral repercussions. The aim of this book is to evaluate the state of political representation in contemporary Europe in the light of these two approaches. The chapters present fresh insight into issue congruence between voters and parties and into the extent of dynamic representation. The chapters are logically clustered into three groups: one group of scholars base their work on the ‘responsible party model’ and apply it to voters and European parties and party groups; a second group of scholars demonstrate the importance of institutional structures on the degree of issue congruence; and a third group of scholars examine the reciprocal nature of dynamic representation and the effects of institutions on the opinion-policy connection. This book was published as a special issue of West European Politics.

This book explains why neoliberal economic ideas have not just survived, but thrived since the 1980s - taking Europe from boom to bust.

"This remarkable volume shows the diversity of social and public contributions made by political scientists across Europe. The range of advisory roles is impressive and encouraging for colleagues concerned about the difference they can make in the world. It deserves to be used by academics and practitioners who seek to praise and defend the importance of political science research." - Claire A. Dunlop, University of Exeter, UK "This book provides unique insights into how political scientists engage in policy advice and how their advisory roles vary across Europe. This variation reflects variations and trends in European policy advisory systems-a must-read for every political scientist and anyone interested in better understanding policy advisory systems." -Thurid Hustedt, Hertie School of Governance, Berlin "Political scientists usually observe policymaking, but this book demonstrates that they also become involved in that process. Using qualitative and quantitative data the authors provide an interesting and timely account of the role of political scientists in advising governments and shaping policy. This is a very welcome addition to the literature on policy advice." - B. Guy Peters, University of Pittsburgh, USA This open access book centres on the advisory roles of political scientists in Europe. Based on a cross-national survey, the book offers a comparative analysis of the viewpoints and activities of university-based political scientists on external engagement. Political scientists in Europe appear more extrovert as academics than sometimes thought. In their professional functioning they engage in delivering knowledge and advice to all kinds of stakeholders in the policy process. This volume contains twelve in-depth country studies where different trends are visible, from political regime change to pressure for impact of academic work. The findings from this comparative analysis may inform our orientation on interaction between academics and their social and political environment, and what this means for education and training in university programs in political science. Marleen Brans is Professor at the KU Leuven Public Governance Institute, Belgium. Arco Timmermans is Professor of Public Affairs at Leiden University, the Netherlands.