Democratic Transformations in Europe : Challenges and Opportunities

Democracies evolve. Their evolution is not only key to their survival; it is also a reflection of the changing environment in which they operate. This book contributes to the analysis and understanding of how democratic states have transformed over time by examining a number of challenges and opportunities that they face.

With a focus on ‘Europe 31’, understood as the EU28 plus Switzerland, Norway, and Iceland, the book brings together separate strands of literature which often remain disconnected in political science narratives. Looking at citizen–state relations, the restructuring of politics and institutions of the state, and developments which reach 'beyond and below' the state, it interrogates a variety of issues ranging from the decline of parties or the re-emergence of nationalism as a political force, to liberal challenges to social democracy, terrorist threats, and climate change. The book combines these different dimensions into a comprehensive overview of the state of contemporary democracy, its challenges and opportunities, and its dynamic capacity to adapt. In other words, it deals with the perpetual threats to and transformations of democracy, and the state’s ability to protect and strengthen its democratic attributes.

This text will be of key interest to scholars of European Politics, Comparative Politics, and Democracy Studies.

Yvette Peters is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Comparative Politics, at the University of Bergen, Norway. Her research focuses on institutions, political participation, and political representation, as well as the functioning, development, and interactions between representative and direct democracy. Her work can be found in the European Journal of Political Research, West European Politics, and Political Studies.

Michaël Tatham is a Professor in the Department of Comparative Politics, at the University of Bergen, Norway. He is Chairman of the Council for European Studies research network on Territorial Politics and Federalism, Editor of the international journal Regional and Federal Studies, Editor of the Comparative Territorial Politics book series, and Director of the interdisciplinary BA programme in European Studies in Bergen.