"Euchner's carefully researched and cogently argued study of morality politics in Europe adds an outstanding piece of research to the ever growing literature on religion and politics. Its combination of quantitative and qualitative comparative analysis involving a novel data set and cross-policy perspectives demonstrates persuasively the role of religion as a resource for political action even in secularized societies." -Michael Minkenberg, Viadrina European University, Germany "Building upon the dichotomy between the "secular" and "religious" worlds of European morality politics, Dr. Euchner plumbs the empirical depths of four nations to unearth a compelling theoretical explanation for when value-laden conflicts surface in parliaments with a strong secular-religious party cleavage. This singularly important volume belongs in the institutional libraries and bibliographic collections of every serious student of public policy analysis, especially those of us who focus on morality policy." -Raymond Tatalovich, Loyola University Chicago, USA This book introduces a new theoretical framework from which to understand religion and morality politics in Europe. This framework provides a first-and rather provocative-answer to the general debate on how religion influences policy-making processes. Specifically, the book argues that religion is more a strategic resource for political parties than a fundamental normative doctrine shaping political parties' policy-making behavior in a systematic and coherent way. The framework proposes a mechanism (i.e. wedge issue competition) that can be used to identify and explain the conditions under which issues related to religious values rise and fall in parliaments of the religious world in Europe and what consequences we may expect in terms of policy reforms.

Eva-Maria Euchner fuhrt in das Thema der Prostitutionspolitik ein und stellt klassische Regulierungsregime sowie die zentralen Wertekonflikte des Politikfelds vor. Ferner gibt die Autorin einen UEberblick uber die verschiedenen Regulierungsmodelle in Europa zwischen 1960 und 2010, was auch eine Beschreibung der Herangehensweise in Deutschland beinhaltet. Daruber hinaus analysiert sie die Ursachen des deutschen Wegs. Die liberale Handhabung von Prostitution in Deutschland ist insbesondere auf die Problemdefinition und die Rolle der Partei Bundnis 90/Die Grunen zuruckzufuhren. Aktuell motiviert eine veranderte Problemwahrnehmung neue regulative Schritte, die aber voraussichtlich keinen Paradigmenwechsel einleiten werden, da ein starker parteipolitischer Agent fehlt.