Walter Kickert - Europe Managing the Crisis: The politics of fiscal consolidation

The strength of the book is in the transparent analytical framework and the full coverage of aspects: cuts, expenditures, revenues, investments. The focus on decision making (or non-decision making) turns the book into a supremely useful embedded case for teaching in leadership, decision making, political economy, governance and administration. For this reason, the book becomes relevant for political science, economists, public administration, management, and even lawyers. Finally, the book is crucial since it is not just analyzing and discussing process but also effects. For all these reasons, this book will become a standard volume in crisis governance.

Geert Bouckaert, President of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences

Drawing on a wealth of original research, comparing the response of a range of countries to the economic crisis, this book delivers valuable insight into the issues raised by the recent near collapse of much of the worlds economy. The strength of the book is that it places political considerations, decisions and institutions in their rightful place at the center of its analysis.

Andrew Massey, Professor, University of Exeter, UK and Editor of International Review of Administrative Sciences and Public Money and Management

This is a much-needed book. Kickert and Randma-Liiv tackle the crucial issue of understanding the responses adopted by national governments across Europe to the financial, economic and fiscal crises. They map decision-making patterns and delve into the explanations and the effects of them, by bringing political and administrative factors to the foreground. Decision-makers and scholars alike will benefit greatly from this major study.

Edoardo Ongaro, Professor, Northumbria University, UK and President of the European Group for Public Administration

The global financial crisis has been the subject of an immense amount of scholarly and popular attention. This book is one of the very best treatments available on the reactions of European governments to the crisis and the effects of their policy choices. Kickert and Randma-Liiv combine generalisations about government actions with insightful examinations of the policy choices of individual countries.

B. Guy Peters, Professor, University of Pittsburgh, USA and President of the International Public Policy Association