Jeremy Leaman is Senior Lecturer in German and European Studies at the Department of Politics, International Relations and European Studies at Loughborough University, UK. For many years he has been joint editor of the Journal of Contemporary European Studies and has published widely in the areas of the Political Economy of Germany and the Politics and Economics of Poverty and Wealth in Contemporary Europe.Martha Wörsching is Lecturer in German and European Studies at the Department of Politics, International Relations and European Studies, Loughborough University, UK. She has been a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Contemporary European Studies and its reviews editor for many years. Her main publications are in the area of cultural, media and gender studies as well as youth and sports studies.

'This book provides an excellent introduction to those new to the study of young people in Europe as it sums up many of the key issues and discussions around contemporary studies of youth. It also provides some interesting and insightful perspectives into a range of issues and debates across a wide range of European countries for those more familiar with youth studies.'-Sarah Smith, University of Leicester, in Journal of Contemporary European Studies, vol 20, no 1

• Introduction: Youth Culture in Contemporary Europe Jeremy Leaman and Martha Wörsching Part I: Life Chances and Socio-Economic Determinants of Youth Today 1. Determinants of Social Exclusion among the Young in Estonia, Germany and the United Kingdom Kairi Kasearu, Dagmar Kutsar and Avo Trumm 2. Poverty and Unemployment of Young Europeans from an Intergenerational Perspective Wielisława Warzywoda-Kruszyńska, Magdalena Rek and Ewa Rokicka 3. Youth Unemployment Policy in Britain and German: A Comparison of ‘Third Way’ Approaches Jeremy Leaman Part II: Youth and Socio-Cultural Transformations 4. Young Europeans and Educational Mobility Rachel Brooks and Johanna Waters 5. Events of Hope and Events of Crisis: Childhood, Youth and Hope in Britain Peter Kraftl 6. Youth Cultures as a Way to Tackle Insecure Transitions into Adulthood Barbara Stauber 7. Online Counselling: Meeting the Needs of Young people in Late-Modern Societies Andreas Vossler and Terry Hanley Part III: Youth as a Problem Group? 8. Some Insights into Violent Youth Crime Chris Lewis, Gavin Hales and Daniel Silverstone 9. Youth Citizenship and Risk in UK Social Policy Alan France, Liz Sutton and Amanda Waring 10. Leaving the Parental Home or Staying On? Young People in Spain and the Development of Social Capital Andreu López Blasco Part IV: Youth and Political Culture 11. Youth Culture and European Integration in Germany: Back to European Basics? Gudrun Quenzel and Mathias Albert 12. ‘Europe? Totally Out of My Depth’: National and European Citizenship among Young People in Germany and England Daniel Faas 13. Political Participation of Youth: Young Germans in the European Context Wolfgang Gaiser and Johann de Rijke 14. Making a Difference? Political Participation of Young People in the UK Martha Wörsching 15. Renouncing Violence or Substituting for It? The Consequences of the Institutionalisation of Alleanza Nazionale on the Culture of Young Neo-Fascist Activists in Italy Stéphanie Dechezelles