Over the last two decades, the process of European integration has become interwoven with the theme of citizenship and the debate on the democratic quality of the EU and of its institutions has become more salient. What are the views about Europe which emerge when we interrogate the national elites of the four large South European countries, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and what is their vision of a supra-national citizenship in its different facets? Are these views sufficiently homogeneous and do they distinguish themselves from those of the rest of the European Union to the point of enabling us to talk about a "distinctive region of Europe"? Which interpretation(s) of European citizenship emerges from a systematic exploration of these opinions?

Using a set of survey and textual data collected in the framework of the IntUne project, the authors attempt to provide some original answers to these questions.

This book was published as a special issue of South European Society and Politics.

This book provides an in-depth analysis of the 'technocratic shift' in ministerial recruitment, measuring its extent and variations over time in fourteen European countries. It addresses the question: who governs in European democratic regimes? Just a few decades ago, the answer would have been straightforward: party-men and (fewer) party-women. More recently, however, and in varying degrees across Europe, a greater proportion of non-politicians or experts have been recruited to government, as exemplified by the 2017 election of Emmanuel Macron to the French Presidency. These experts, frequently labelled "technocrats", increasingly occupy key executive positions and have emerged as powerful actors in the decision-making process. This edited collection explores the contemporary debates surrounding the relationship between technocracy, democracy and political leadership, and will appeal to scholars and advanced students interested in these fields.

This book describes the state of the art across the broad range of spectroscopic techniques used in the study of biological systems. It reviews some of the latest advances achieved in the application of these techniques in the analysis and characterization of small and large biological compounds, covering topics such as VUV/UV and UV-visible spectroscopies, fluorescence spectroscopy, IR and Raman techniques, dynamic light scattering (DLS), circular dichroism (CD/SR-CD), pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance techniques, Moessbauer spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray methods and electron and ion impact spectroscopies. The second part of the book focuses on modelling methods and illustrates how these tools have been used and integrated with other experimental and theoretical techniques including also electron transfer processes and fast kinetics methods. The book will benefit students, researchers and professionals working with these techniques to understand the fundamental mechanisms of biological systems.

This book describes the state of the art across the broad range of spectroscopic techniques used in the study of biological systems. It reviews some of the latest advances achieved in the application of these techniques in the analysis and characterization of small and large biological compounds, covering topics such as VUV/UV and UV-visible spectroscopies, fluorescence spectroscopy, IR and Raman techniques, dynamic light scattering (DLS), circular dichroism (CD/SR-CD), pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance techniques, Moessbauer spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray methods and electron and ion impact spectroscopies. The second part of the book focuses on modelling methods and illustrates how these tools have been used and integrated with other experimental and theoretical techniques including also electron transfer processes and fast kinetics methods. The book will benefit students, researchers and professionals working with these techniques to understand the fundamental mechanisms of biological systems.

Electoral and parliamentary arenas play a crucial role in the configuration and dynamics of modern polities. This book explores the practices of citizenship and unveils the fabric of representation in the Iberian countries, during a significant period of liberal politics, that is, from its apogee to its collapse (from the 1870s to the 1920s). Part One examines the evolution of electoral norms and behaviour, as well as the recruitment profile of MPs. Portugal and Spain share fundamental features, such as the extensive clientelistic mobilisation of voters, the dissemination of fraud and corruption, the supremacy of governmental parties and the prevalence of the politics of notables. Part Two focuses on Parliament, questioning constitutional models, internal procedures, legislative action and political activity, as well as coetaneous perceptions and images of the institution and its actors as portrayed in novels, newspaper chronicles, cartoons and photographic reports. This collection of essays offers a detailed and cogent analysis, as well as a vivid picture, of the politics of representation in Portuguese and Spanish liberalism, revealing significant similarities and differences through cross-country comparisons.

Electoral and parliamentary arenas play a crucial role in the configuration and dynamics of modern polities. This book explores the practices of citizenship and unveils the fabric of representation in the Iberian countries, during a significant period of liberal politics, that is, from its apogee to its collapse (from the 1870s to the 1920s). Part One examines the evolution of electoral norms and behaviour, as well as the recruitment profile of MPs. Portugal and Spain share fundamental features, such as the extensive clientelistic mobilisation of voters, the dissemination of fraud and corruption, the supremacy of governmental parties and the prevalence of the politics of notables. Part Two focuses on Parliament, questioning constitutional models, internal procedures, legislative action and political activity, as well as coetaneous perceptions and images of the institution and its actors as portrayed in novels, newspaper chronicles, cartoons and photographic reports. This collection of essays offers a detailed and cogent analysis, as well as a vivid picture, of the politics of representation in Portuguese and Spanish liberalism, revealing significant similarities and differences through cross-country comparisons.

In modern politics, cabinet ministers are major actors in the arena of power as they occupy a strategic locus of command from which vital, authoritative decisions flow continuously. Who are these uppermost policy-makers? What are their background characteristics and credentials? How are they selected and which career paths do they travel in their ascent to power? This set of research issues has guided this collection, a comprehensive, empirical account of the composition and patterns of recruitment of ministerial elites in Southern Europe throughout the last 150 years, thus encompassing different historical circumstances and political settings - liberal, authoritarian and democratic. With original, comparative data from the 19th century to the present, it provides valuable material for debates about how regime change and economic development affect who governs. First published in 2003 by Frank Cass / Reprinted in 2012 by Routledge