Organizing European space

"Organizing European Space looks at the phenomenon of the sovereign state and the question of alternative ways of organizing Europe politically and economically. Combining perspectives from the different disciplines of the authors - political science, history and geography - it provides a comprehensive introduction to 'Europe' or European space as we understand it today." "The book explores four different ways of organizing space in Europe: state, union, region and network. It reviews the origins, resilience and adaptability of the sovereign state historically, before looking at the implications of the contradictory processes of integration and fragmentation, or globalization and regionalization, present today. A key concept developed throughout the book is that of networks, especially with respect to the European Union, and the relationship between regions, networks and cities, a relationship long traditional to Europe's political organization." "Organizing European Space will be essential reading for all students of contemporary Europe seeking a deeper understanding of the modern state and the complexity of changing notions of identity, organization and territoriality inherent in Europe in the past or in the future."--Jacket.