By Liesbet Hooghe and Gary Marks

European politics has been reshaped in recent decades by a dual process of centralization and decentralization. At the same time that authority in many policy areas has shifted to the suprantional level of the European Union, so national governments have given subnational regions within countries more say over the lives of their citizens. At the forefront of scholars who characterize this dual process as Omulti-level governance,OLiesbet Hooghe and Gary Marks argue that its emergence in the second half of the twentieth century is a watershed in the political development of Europe. Hooghe and Marks explain why multi-level governance has taken place and how it shapes conflict in national and European political arenas. Drawing on a rich body of original research, the book is at the same time written in a clear and accessible style for undergraduates and non-experts.

Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Multi-level Governance in the European Union Part 3 Part I: Sources of Multi-level Governance Chapter 4 A Historical Perspective Chapter 5 Multiple Identities Chapter 6 Why National Leaders Diffuse Authority Part 7 Part II: Multi-Level Governance with the Regions Chapter 8 Variations in Cohesion Policy Chapter 9 Cohesion Policy Under Threat Chapter 10 Channels to Europe Part 11 Part III:Contestation in a Multi-Level Polity Chapter 12 The Struggle over European Integration Chapter 13 Supranationalism Contested in the Commission Chapter 14 Political Parties Take a Stand Chapter 15 Bibliography Chapter 16 Index Chapter 17 Appendices