Social Democracy and European Integration : The politics of preference formation

ISBN-13: 9780415559850 / Angielski / Twarda / 2010 / 256 str.

Dionyssis G. Dimitrakopoulos

Opis

Why do social democratic political parties respond differently to the crucial question of the future of the European Union? While many social democratic parties initially opposed specific forms of European integration, they came to lend their full and often critical support to European integration. Despite this evolution, important differences between them have remained.

This book examines the preferences of social democratic parties in Germany, France, the UK, Sweden and Greece towards European integration, in comparative perspective. The authors explore what kind of Europe these parties want, and seek to explain the origin and formation of these preferences. Addressing the tension between the post-World War II ideology of internationalism and solidarity, and how integration often appeared to undermine national achievements, this book explores how parties sought to reconcile the two and, more importantly account for the differences between them.

Making an important contribution to preference formation scholarship and the research that links the European Union with the nation state, it will be of interest to students and scholars of the EU, comparative politics and political parties.

Spis treści

1. Introduction: Social Democracy, European Integration and Preference Formation Dionyssis G. Dimitrakopoulos  2. The SPD’s Preferences on European Integration: Always One Step Behind? Christoph Egle  3. The French Socialist Party and European Integration: Faltering Europeanism? Philippe Marlière  4. The Labour Party and European Integration: An Awkward Relationship Hussein Kassim  5. The Panhellenic Socialist Movement and European Integration: The Primacy of the Leader Dionyssis G. Dimitrakopoulos and Argyris G. Passas  6. Swedish Social Democracy and European Integration: Enduring Divisions Karl-Magnus Johansson and Göran von Sydow  7. Conclusion Dionyssis G. Dimitrakopoulos

O autorze

Dionyssis G. Dimitrakopoulos is Senior Lecturer in Politics at Birkbeck University of London, UK. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He teaches European integration and comparative public policy in Europe at postgraduate and undergraduate levels. He is the founding director of the MSc/MRes European Public Policy and is responsible for the MSc/MRes Politics of Europe & the European Union. His research interests include:

• The politics of European integration
• Social democracy and the process of integration in Europe
• Preference formation
• The EU and the member states
• Institutional reform
• The implementation of EU public policy
• Ideational explanations of political phenomena
• Institutionalist accounts of politics
• Contemporary Greek politics