Description: This book explores the forces pushing America away from its democratic friends and neighbors. It examines the underlying forces shaping the democratic states of the West. Individual chapters pose questions such as: Why is religion so powerful in America? How will the flow of immigration shape politics across the West? Why is Europe rejecting America's version of capitalism? How is the media changing in Europe and America? Why are "Conservatives" so different on each side of the Atlantic? And, finally, what do these competing forces portend for the future of the transatlantic relationship?
Brief description: Professor Sven Steinmo holds the Chair in Public Policy and Political Economy at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence, Italy. He is also a Professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and an Honorary Professor at Odense University, Denmark. His writing includes Taxation and Democracy (Winner, 1994 Best Book Prize, Political Economy Section of the American Political Science Association), Structuring Politics (coedited with Kathleen Thelen), and Political Evolution and Policy Change (coedited with Bo Rothstein).
Review Quotes: "The question of whether the United States and Europe will or even should remain closely allied is a critical and much debated one. Bringing together some of the most impressive scholars on both sides of the Atlantic, this book grapples with this question from a wide range of angles. It will be a 'must-read' for all concerned with U.S.-European relations, the 'future of the West, ' and the way in which international and domestic factors interact to produce policy outcomes."
Sheri Berman, Barnard College