Author Description

The book presents the state of political science in 27 European countries. This academic project is unique in that it covers both Western and Eastern Europe in the most recent times. Each chapter is delivered by scholars representing the national community of political scientists. The following countries took part in the project (in alphabetical order): Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom. The main goal of the book has been to present the state of political science in the first decade of the 21st century including its position, main achievements, challenges and the prospects for development within and across Europe. Thus the chapters include the information on the historical and institutional context in which political science operates in a given country, present the position of political science in the higher education structure and the forms of political science education. The authors provide statistical data on the number of staff members, as well as undergraduate and graduate students of political science. The changes in political science education connected with the process of implementing the so called Bologna reforms are also included. The narratives presented in the volume also describe the dominant research interests and strategies of political science development. Finally, the authors were asked to depict possible changes and transformations within the sphere of political science likely to happen in the foreseeable future. As a result, we see a picture of the richness and diversity of political science as it is taught and researched across Europe. The practical aspect of political science is embodied in the ability to provide integrated systematic political expertise, the ability to pose general questions about the nature of politics