The contributors of this thoughtful book explore the role and influence of political leadership through a rigorous comparative analysis of regional-level dynamics in Europe.

Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Parties and Territory in Portuguese Politics Chapter 3 Transforming Local Culture: Territorial Governance in the Italian South Chapter 4 From Identity to Collective Action: Building Political Capacity in French Regions Chapter 5 Interest Groups and Territorial Governance: The Multilevel Representation of Agriculture in Two French Regions Chapter 6 Creation of a Bureaucratic Style: Spanish Regions and EU Structural Funds Chapter 7 Building Effective Institutions: Italian Regions and the EU Structural Funds Chapter 8 Party Politics and Regional Strategies in Spain

Jeanie Bukowski is assistant professor of international studies at Bradley University. Simona Piattoni is associate professor of political science in the Department of Sociology and Social Research at the University of Trento, Italy. Marc Smyrl is program administrator of the Denver International School.