The Second Tier of Local Government in Europe：Provinces, Counties, Départements and Landkreise in Comparison

Political scientists from across Europe examine how 14 countries have restructured their internal politics and administration to reflect the decreased interest in national sovereignty and centralized government. In particular, they explore the creation or empowerment of strata of government between the local and the national, and the resulting theories and practices of multi-tier politics and administration. They define second tiers as territorial levels of self-government based on a multi-purpose jurisdiction. Some of the country studies have been updated from reports commissioned by the administration of the province of Barcelona and originally published in Catalan. Others were undertaken so this volume could include all the countries where second tiers are important or dynamic. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Hubert Heinelt is Professor for Comparative Public Policy, Public Administration and Urban Studies at the Institute of Political Science, Darmstadt University of Technology.

Xavier Bertrana is the Head of the Centre for Local Innovation at the Diputacio de Barcelona and Researcher at the University of Barcelona.