Parliamentary party groups are central actors in most European democracies. This volume analyses the manifestations and operations of these actors across thirteen different countries and in the European parliament.

Introduction: representative democracy and parliamentary party groups Knut Heidar and Ruud Koole Chapter 1. Approaches to the study of parliamentary party groups Knut Heidar and Ruud Koole Chapter 2. Bureaucratisation, co-ordination and competition: parliamentary party groups in the German Bundestag Thomas Saalfeld Chapter 3. The United Kingdom: exerting influence from within Philip Norton Chapter 4. Parliamentary parties in the French fifth republic Jean-Louis Thiébault and Bernard Dolez Chapter 5. Not yet the locus of power: parliamentary party groups in Austria Wolfgang C. Müller and Barbara Steininger Chapter 6. Fractiocracy? Limits to the ascendancy of the parliamentary party group in Dutch politicsChapter 7. PPGs in Belgium: subjects of partititocratic dominion Lieven de Winter and Patrick Dumont Chapter 8. A power centre in Danish politics Lars Bille Chapter 9. Parliamentary party groups in the Swedish Riksdag Magnus Hagevi Chapter 10. The partyness of the Finnish Eduskunta Matti Wiberg Chapter 11. The limits of whips and watchdogs in the Czech Republic Petr Kopecky Chapter 12. Parliamentary party groups in Slovakia Darina Malová and Kevin Deegan Krause Chapter 13. Parties and parliamentary party groups in the making: Hungary 1989-1997 Gabriella Ilonszki Chapter 14. Second-rate parties? Towards a better understanding of the European parliament's party groups Tapio Raunio Chapter 15. Parliamentary party groups compared Knut Heidar and Ruud Koole

'the volume is highly instructive not only in enhancing the reader's knowledge about PPGs and their role in domestic arenas, but also by providing a stimulus to embark on the road of further research.'Political Studies'...this book singles out a very relevant problem, develops an accurate methodological frame, and discusses it in a fruitful way, by virtue of an uncommon amount of empirical evidence...is destined to provoke very favourable reactions among political scientists both for its findings and as a good example of comparative research.' Luca Verzichelli Acta Politica 2000/4