For too long Belgium remained an unexplored terrain by
comparative political scientists. Belgium's politics were best
known through the writings of Arend Lijphart, who considered it a
model case of consociationalism. Over the past ten to fifteen
years, the analysis of consociationalism has been complemented by a
more detailed coverage of Belgium's spectacular transformation
process from a unitary into a federal state, moving rapidly now to
disintegration. Likewise, several peculiar aspects of Belgian
politics, such as the record fragmentation of its party system,
have been covered in edited volumes or international journals.
However, given the complexity of the Belgian configuration of
political institutions and actors, any inclusion of particular
aspects of the Belgian case in comparative work calls for an in
depth and integrated understanding of the broader political
system.
This is the first book which provides such an analysis. It
brings together a team of 19 political scientists and sociologists
who aim to explain the dynamics and incentives of institutional
change and seek to analyze the intricate interplay between the main
institutional components of the Belgian body politic. The
sociological, political and institutional determinants and the
consequences of the "federalisation" process of Belgium is the
central theme that links each of the individual chapters. This book
will be essential reading for students who want to understand the
politics of Belgium and for anyone with a strong interest in West
European Politics, comparative politics and comparative
federalism.
This book was published as a special issue of West European
Politics.
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