This volume analyzes the evolution of selected public policies and the changing roles and structure of the state in Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain since the 1960s. It makes a major contribution to work on recent democratic regime transition in southern Europe, demonstrating how the state has responded and adapted to the challenges and pressures associated with the overarching processes of democratization, socio-economic development, and Europeanization.

In "The Politics of Democratic Consolidation," a distinguished group of internationally recognized scholars focus on four nations of Southern Europe--Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Greece--which have successfully consolidated their democratic regimes. Contributors are P. Nikiforos Diamandouros, Richard Gunther, Hans-Jurgen Puhle, Edward Malefakis, Juan J. Linz, Alfred Stepan, Felipe Aguero, Geoffrey Pridham, Sidney Tarrow, Leonardo Morlino, Jose R. Montero, Gianfranco Pasquino, and Philippe C. Schmitter.

This volume analyzes the evolution of selected public policies and the changing roles and structure of the state in Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain since the 1960s. It makes a major contribution to work on recent democratic regime transition in southern Europe, demonstrating how the state has responded and adapted to the challenges and pressures associated with the overarching processes of democratization, socio-economic development, and Europeanization.

In the acclaimed Politics of Democratic Consolidation, Nikiforos Diamandouros, Richard Gunther, and their co-authors showed how democratization unfolded in Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, culminating in consolidated democratic regimes. This volume continues that analysis, posing the basic question: What kind of democratic politics emerged in those countries? It presents systematic analyses of the basic institutions of government and of the dynamics of electoral competition in the four countries (set in comparative context alongside several other democracies), as well as detailed studies of the evolution of the major parties, their electorates, their ideologies, and their performances in government over the past twenty years. The authors reach two major conclusions. First, the new democracies' salient features are moderation, centripetalism, and the democratization of erstwhile antisystem parties on the Right and Left. Second, no single "Southern European model" has emerged; the systems differ from one another about as much as do the other established democracies of Europe.

Contributors: P. Nikiforos Diamandouros, University of Athens Richard Gunther, Ohio State University Thomas C. Bruneau, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey Arend Lijphart, University of California at San Diego Leonardo Morlino, University of Florence Risa A. Brooks, Stanford University JosA(c) R. Montero, Autonomous University of Madrid Giacomo Sani, University of Pavia Paolo Segatti, University of Trieste Gianfranco Pasquino, University of Bologna Takis S. Pappas, College Year, Athens Hans-Jrgen Puhle, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main Anna Bosco, University of Trieste

Praise for The Politics ofDemocratic Consolidation:

"Without doubt the best comparative work on Southern European politics to date." -- Journal of Modern Greek Studies

"There is a wealth of information here, but the outstanding merit of this volume lies in its illuminating comparative analysis." -- Foreign Affairs