About the book
Welcome to the homepage of the textbook Foundations of European Politics – A comparative approach!
The book introduces students to the most current theoretical and empirical research on European politics, and it does so in a highly accessible way through examples and data visualizations. We hope that the book offers students an engaging learning experience.
This website is part of that engaging experience. Here, for each chapter, we present and describe in greater depth a major political dataset that has been discussed in the book. To explore concepts from the chapters, we present a series of questions that students can answer using data, and we present interactive activities that allow students to engage directly with data to answer these questions.
We hope you enjoy these activities!
You may order the book on the Oxford University Press website.
In case you discover an error, please do not hesitate to send us an e-mail to foundationseuropol@gmail.com.
Authors
Department of Social and Political Sciences, Bocconi University
Department of Government, London School of Economics
Cologne Center for Comparative Politics, University of Cologne
Department of Political Science, University of Zurich
Data Descriptions and Exercises
In this section we provide students with an engaging experience, exploring data introduced in the book. For each chapter you find a data set description and a data exercise below. First, in the data set description we present and describe a major political science dataset that is discussed in the book and we present students with a series of questions. Second, in the data exercise we provide an interactive activity where students answer these questions using the data set described. We recommend that you go through the data set description before doing the interactive activity in the data exercise. Furthermore, we suggest that you do the interactive activity on a laptop or tablet. Enjoy!
Reviews
Foundations of European Politics is the first textbook that looks at supranational and national politics through the same analytical lens. Clearly organized and crisply written, it successfully translates state-of-the-art research into accessible insight. Highly recommended for graduates and undergraduates. A superb volume by four top scholars that will transform how the next generation will think about European politics.
Prof. Liesbet Hooghe, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and European University Institute, Florence, Italy
An extremely informative book based on the idea that European politics cannot be understood without studying the interaction between national and EU institutions. Reading the book is like listening to an ensemble of four expert musicians; they all play the same tune in harmony but with solos performed on each instrument. The book starts with theoretical issues - democratic politics and multilevel politics - and follows the chain of delegation from voters to elections, parties, governments, and finally policy. It ends with more contemporary problems surrounding the rule of law and democratic backsliding. A great concept for a textbook!
Prof. George Tsebelis, Anatol Rapoport Collegiate Professor of Political Science, University of Michigan
Authoritative and informed, yet accessible, this excellent introduction to European politics deftly interweaves theory and data. Designed to make readers think for themselves, this book offers a fine introduction to political science more generally … from respected authors who really know their stuff.
Michael Laver, Professor of Politics, New York University
This is the first textbook that presents a truly integrated comparative political science analysis of national and European level politics, and how these two levels interact to produce the dramatic political, economic, and social developments we have witnessed in recent years. As such, this book will transform how we teach and understand politics across our Continent for many years to come.
Simon Hix, Harold Laski Professor of Political Science, London School of Economics and Political Science
This book provides an excellent and unique addition to the teaching of comparative European politics. It covers many crucial challenges that European democracies are currently facing, and students will greatly benefit from the empirical focus and hands-on approach throughout the book, which makes for accessible and enjoyable reading!
Dr. Katjana Gattermann, Assistant Professor, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Foundations of European Politics is a pathbreaking textbook on European politics. De Vries, Hobolt, Proksch and Slapin apply state of the art social science and rich contextual knowledge to examine national and EU level politics in a truly integrated way. Students will be engaged and enlightened by this outstanding book.
R. Daniel Kelemen, Professor of Political Science and Law, Rutgers University, USA
Foundations of European Politics is an ambitious, fresh take on European politics that challenges the reader to consider the intersection of theory with empirics.
Dr. Chris Burdett, Assistant Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA
This book integrates in a sophisticated way theoretical debates in comparative politics and an analysis of contemporary political developments. It provides students with the tools necessary to understand recent political changes occurring both in European member states and at the supra-national European level. It is highly recommended for courses in European politics, party politics and for general courses in comparative politics.
Isabela Mares, Arnold Wolfers Professor of Political Science Yale University, USA
This is an excellent text on European politics in the 21st century, both with regards to its substantive coverage, and its approach to political science and the methods used in the discipline.
Christian Jensen, Associate Professor, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA
Prof. Liesbet Hooghe, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and European University Institute, Florence, Italy
An extremely informative book based on the idea that European politics cannot be understood without studying the interaction between national and EU institutions. Reading the book is like listening to an ensemble of four expert musicians; they all play the same tune in harmony but with solos performed on each instrument. The book starts with theoretical issues - democratic politics and multilevel politics - and follows the chain of delegation from voters to elections, parties, governments, and finally policy. It ends with more contemporary problems surrounding the rule of law and democratic backsliding. A great concept for a textbook!
Prof. George Tsebelis, Anatol Rapoport Collegiate Professor of Political Science, University of Michigan
Authoritative and informed, yet accessible, this excellent introduction to European politics deftly interweaves theory and data. Designed to make readers think for themselves, this book offers a fine introduction to political science more generally … from respected authors who really know their stuff.
Michael Laver, Professor of Politics, New York University
This is the first textbook that presents a truly integrated comparative political science analysis of national and European level politics, and how these two levels interact to produce the dramatic political, economic, and social developments we have witnessed in recent years. As such, this book will transform how we teach and understand politics across our Continent for many years to come.
Simon Hix, Harold Laski Professor of Political Science, London School of Economics and Political Science
This book provides an excellent and unique addition to the teaching of comparative European politics. It covers many crucial challenges that European democracies are currently facing, and students will greatly benefit from the empirical focus and hands-on approach throughout the book, which makes for accessible and enjoyable reading!
Dr. Katjana Gattermann, Assistant Professor, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Foundations of European Politics is a pathbreaking textbook on European politics. De Vries, Hobolt, Proksch and Slapin apply state of the art social science and rich contextual knowledge to examine national and EU level politics in a truly integrated way. Students will be engaged and enlightened by this outstanding book.
R. Daniel Kelemen, Professor of Political Science and Law, Rutgers University, USA
Foundations of European Politics is an ambitious, fresh take on European politics that challenges the reader to consider the intersection of theory with empirics.
Dr. Chris Burdett, Assistant Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA
This book integrates in a sophisticated way theoretical debates in comparative politics and an analysis of contemporary political developments. It provides students with the tools necessary to understand recent political changes occurring both in European member states and at the supra-national European level. It is highly recommended for courses in European politics, party politics and for general courses in comparative politics.
Isabela Mares, Arnold Wolfers Professor of Political Science Yale University, USA
This is an excellent text on European politics in the 21st century, both with regards to its substantive coverage, and its approach to political science and the methods used in the discipline.
Christian Jensen, Associate Professor, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA