Cabinets in Western Europe / edited by Jean Blondel and Ferdinand Müller-Rommel.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 277-293) and index.

Preface to the First Edition / Jean Blondel and Ferdinand Muller-Rommel -- Preface to the Second Edition / Jean Blondel and Ferdinand Muller-Rommel -- Introduction / Jean Blondel -- 1. The United Kingdom / Martin Burch -- 2. Ireland / Brian Farrell -- 3. The Netherlands / Rudy B. Andeweg -- 4. Belgium / Andre-Paul Frognier -- 5. France / Jean-Louis Thiebault -- 6. Spain / Antonio Bar -- 7. Italy / Maurizio Cotta -- 8. Austria / Peter Gerlich and Wolfgang C. Muller -- 9. Federal Republic of Germany / Ferdinand Muller-Rommel -- 10. Denmark / Tove Lise Schou -- 11. Norway / Svein Eriksen -- 12. Sweden / Torbjorn Larsson -- 13. Finland / Jaakko Nousiainen -- Concluding Remarks / Ferdinand Muller-Rommel.

This is the fully updated second edition of the presentation of the structure and workings of the national cabinets in Western European countries today. This book is based on a common framework which enables the reader to compare the origins, structure, composition and activities of these cabinets and therefore to draw lessons from this comparison. Emphasis is placed on the leadership and on the character of coalitions.

At a time when ministers in Western Europe are working more and more closely together, a knowledge of the life of national cabinets has become a necessity as has also an understanding of the differences between types of cabinet decision-making in the context of reforms which are proposed of Western European governments.