Download or read book Political Parties in the New Europe written by Kurt Richard Luther and published by Oxford University Press on Demand. This book was released on 2005 with total page 391 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The scope and intensity of the challenges currently faced by West European political parties is exceptionally great, threatening the viability of the manner in which they have traditionally operated and causing them to seek new behaviours and strategies. This volume brings together some of the foremost scholars of European party politics, whose evaluation of political parties in 'the new Europe' is organised under four broad headings: 'Parties and Society'; 'Parties as Purposive Organizations'; 'Parties and National Government' and 'Parties, the Nation State, and Beyond'. The contributors review the latest empirical findings and provide a concise, critical review of the theoretical and methodological 'state of the art'. They also highlight the analytical challenges confronting party researchers and suggest new avenues for party research.