`Europe is sometimes credited with a `polis, ' but not a `demos'.
Political integration and economic globalisation cannot diminish local
identity and social memories. This fascinating collection of national
case studies shows why there will always be a local `demos' located in
ecology, economy, and society. But there will never be a transnational
`demos', precisely because locality is the basis for meaningful
sustainability. Long may it triumph.' Tim O'Riordan, CSERGE,
University of East Anglia
'The book offers a refreshing perspective on the diversity of Europe and
at the same time, on the interdependence of the policies, economies, and
societies of European countries. Going beyond the dichotomies of `good
and bad' and `leaders and laggards' in environmental matters, the
authors contribute to a different understanding of the North-South
divide in the process of European integration.' Angela Liberatore,
European Commission, Directorate General for Research
`This is a self-consciously revisionist volume, whose findings are
theoretically significant, policy-relevant, and timely. Its insistence
on `bringing society back in, ' its debunking of the notion of a
`Mediterranean syndrome, ' its emphasis on developmental
`leapfrogging' capacity of late-comers to emerge as leaders in contexts
of late modernity, and its systematic attempt to reconceptualize the
politics of Europeanization should be carefully listed to students and
policy-makers concerned with collective action, Southern Europe,
European integration, and environmental politics.' P. Nikiforos
Diamandouros, University of Athens