Democracy was for long considered 'unthinkable' without parties. Is it still so? The main question at the beginning of the 21st century is whether the political parties will manage to retain their role of crucial mediator between state and society and at the same time to uphold the normative expectation of democratic theory.

1. Responsive and Responsible? The Role of Parties in Twenty-First Century Politics Luciano Bardi, Stefano Bartolini and Alexander H. Trechsel Section 1: The Interdependence Challenge 2. Responsible Party Government in a World of Interdependence Richard Rose 3. Testing Times: The Growing Primacy of Responsibility in the Euro Area Brigid Laffan 4. Responsible Government and Capitalism's Cycles Dorothee Bohle Section 2: The Domestic Challenge 5. Democratic Performance of Parties and Legitimacy in Europe Hans Keman 6. The Non-Procedural Determinants of Responsiveness Leonardo Morlino and Mario Quaranta 7. The Populist Challenge Hanspeter Kriesi 8. A Question of Time: Responsive and Responsible Democratic Politics Klaus H. Goetz Section 3: Adaptation or Failure? 9. Failing Political Representation or a Change in Kind? Models of Representation and Empirical Trends in Europe Jacques Thomassen and Carolien van Ham 10. Ideology, Parties and Social Politics in Europe Maurizio Ferrera 11. 'Stripped Down' or Reconfigured Democracy David M. Farrell