Barry Jones – författare

Is Europe witnessing the death of the once mighty nation-state? If it is, then two of the most powerful factors in its post-war decline have been European integration and regionalism. Both challenge the nation state's monopoly of authority - one from above, the other from below. Although it is increasingly recognized that the two are connected. This book provides a definitive examination of the new patterns of politics and policy that link the three levels of European Union, nation state, and region. Looking at each member state in turn the authors emphasize the diversity of the European experience. European integration has differing impacts on different regions. In some it is seen as a threat, centralizing power and increasing their peripherality. To others it is an opportunity to by-pass national governments and assert their personality.The authors are sceptical of the `Europe of the Regions' scenario, in which nation states fade away in favour of the other two levels. But they do show how the Maastricht commitment to subsidiarity together with the twin forces of European integration and regional assertion are profoundly changing the politics of Europe as it moves into the twenty-first century.

People from different cultural backgrounds prefer adhering to their own religious beliefs which could restrict treatment options leading to the detriment of health, especially if it involves the health of a disabled child. This comprehensive but concise work highlights the problems faced in managing the care of disabled children from different cultural backgrounds. It examines the problems inherent in the medical, social and educational management of children with developmental disability in populations whose value systems differ from other cultures. In particular it considers how care may be varied according to cultural background, without compromising its quality.