Dionyssis G. Dimitrakopoulos is Senior Lecturer in Politics at Birkbeck University of London, UK. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He teaches European integration and comparative public policy in Europe at postgraduate and undergraduate levels. He is the founding director of the MSc/MRes European Public Policy and is responsible for the MSc/MRes Politics of Europe & the European Union. His research interests include:

• The politics of European integration


• Social democracy and the process of integration in Europe


• Preference formation


• The EU and the member states


• Institutional reform


• The implementation of EU public policy


• Ideational explanations of political phenomena


• Institutionalist accounts of politics


• Contemporary Greek politics

This book examines why social democratic political parties respond differently to the crucial question of the future of the European Union, exploring the preferences of Germany, France, the UK, Sweden and Greece, in comparative perspective.

1. Introduction: Social Democracy, European Integration and Preference Formation Dionyssis G. Dimitrakopoulos 2. The SPD's Preferences on European Integration: Always One Step Behind? Christoph Egle 3. The French Socialist Party and European Integration: Faltering Europeanism? Philippe Marlière 4. The Labour Party and European Integration: An Awkward Relationship Hussein Kassim 5. The Panhellenic Socialist Movement and European Integration: The Primacy of the Leader Dionyssis G. Dimitrakopoulos and Argyris G. Passas 6. Swedish Social Democracy and European Integration: Enduring Divisions Karl-Magnus Johansson and Göran von Sydow 7. Conclusion Dionyssis G. Dimitrakopoulos