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Politics in Contemporary Portugal: Democracy Evolving

José M. Magone
Politics in Contemporary Portugal: Democracy Evolving
ISBN: 978-1-62637-025-8
$72.00
2014/295 pages/LC: 2013037195
"Provides a thorough and well-documented overview of the Portuguese political system.... The author [also] should be praised for an excellent review of the existing literature on Portuguese politics that will be of great value to scholars and students of comparative politics."—Alexandre Afonso, Political Studies Review

"Provides a holistic and thorough review of Portugal's politics and public policies and constitutes a great source of information and bibliography on all the topics that it covers.... The book is ideal for any reseracher and/or student of Portuguese politics.... Also relevant for scholars interested in processes of democratization."— Sotirios Zartaloudis, Western European Politics

"A must read for anybody interested in modern Portugal. Magone analyzes virtually all the topics relevant to an understanding of the country's contemporary successes and challenges."—Thomas Bruneau, Naval Postgraduate School

DESCRIPTION

José Magone provides a comprehensive overview of the development of Portuguese democracy, highlighting the country’s achievements and failures across four decades.

Magone briefly traces Portugal's political history and provides socioeconomic context before turning his attention to a range of key areas: from political structures and public administration to political culture, from the role of the judiciary to foreign and defense policy. Thoroughly researched, his book is an unparalleled contribution to scholarship on this young democracy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

José M. Magone is professor of regional and global governance at the Berlin School of Economics and Law. His publications include Contemporary European Politics: A Comparative Introduction.

CONTENTS

  • Portugal's Evolving Democracy.
  • The Historical and Socioeconomic Context.
  • The Structure and Development of the Core Political System.
  • The Evolution of Public Administration.
  • The Dynamics of Parties and Elections.
  • Interest Groups at Play.
  • The Role of the Judiciary.
  • Civil Society and Political Culture.
  • Local Governments and the Challenge of Decentralization.
  • The Europeanization of National Public Policies.
  • The Priorities of Foreign and Defense Policy.
  • Challenges and Opportunities in the 21st Century.