Updated for the fourth edition, this work analyzes the political systems of 18 European countries, their political parties, elections, and party systems, as well as government structure at local, regional, national and European Union levels. Key theoretical ideas are accessibly introduced and examined against empirical data on civil society and the state. The dominant theme continues to be that political institutions and political outcomes are conditioned by the social structure. The authors probe the nature and form of western European political systems in terms of civil society, the market economy and the divisions of class, ethnicity, regional identity and religion, and present a rich picture of contemporary western European society and politics.