BAS DENTERS is Professor of Urban Policy and Politics, University of Twente, The NetherlandsLAWRENCE E. ROSE is Professor of Political Science, University of Oslo, Norway

'...an excellent addition to the 'Government Beyond the Centre' series and one that will be extremely useful to both academics and professionals wanting to understand how local governance is developing across the industralised world'. - Philip Catney, Political Studies Review "[P]rovides a succinct overview of contemporary local governance! [and] an excellent survey of recent! trends mostly within Europe but including some chapters on countries outside! All the chapters follow a similar format defined by the editors and all are written to a high level of quality." - John Loughlin, European Political Science '[A] useful summary of recent developments in local government and... a valuable starting point for future comparative research.' - Sylvia Tijmstra, Environment and Planning 'This book is a gold mine for all those interested in comparative local politics.' - Herwig Reynaet, Acta Politics

• PrefaceLocal Governance in the Third Millennium: A Brave New World?; B.Denters & L.E.RoseFrance: The Intermunicipal Revolution; O.Borraz & P.Le GalèsItaly: After the Storm; L.BobbioBelgium: The Changing World of Belgian Municipalities; Y.PleesThe Netherlands: In Search of Responsiveness; B.Denters & P.J.KlokThe Nordic Countries: Still the 'Promised Land'?; L.E.Rose & K.StåhlbergPoland: A Time of Transition; P.SwianiewiczGermany: A New Type of Local Government; O.W.Gabriel & S.EisenmannSwitzerland: Reforming Small Autonomous Municipalities; A.LadnerThe United Kingdom: An Increasingly Differentiated Polity?; D.WilsonNew Zealand: A Quantum Leap Forward?; G.BushAustralia: Still a Tale of Cinderella?; C.AulichThe United States: Executive Centred Politics; H.V.Savitch & R.K.VogelA New Intergovernmentalism?; M.GoldsmithToward Community Governance?; B Denters & L.E.Rose.