Since 1950, devolution reforms have been wide- spread across Western Europe, leading to constitu- tional transformation in Belgium, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, as well as the potential for state breakup, as witnessed by independence refer- endums in Scotland and Catalonia. Over the same period, European integration has transferred power upwards to what is now the European Union. The simultaneous occurrence of these seemingly contradictory trends raises fundamental questions. Is state restructuring a uniform process? Has it been fuelled by European integration and, if so, how? Restructuring the European State uses a com- parative analysis to present a systematic investi- gation of the connections between European inte- gration and state restructuring. Paolo Dardanelli argues that there are two distinct dynamics of state restructuring: “bottom up,” where one or more regions demand self-government; and “top down,” where the central government decides to devolve power. Through quantitative analyses of thirteen key phases of state restructuring in Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom he shows that European integration has a powerful influence only in bottom up cases. Dardanelli points to a striking paradox of integra- tion, whereby an ethos of Europe growing ever closer to union has become associated with frag- mentation, divergence, and increased complexity, rather than a seamless system of multilevel governance. Innovative and rigorously researched, Restruc- turing the European State marks a major advance in our understanding of contemporary European politics. Paolo Dardanelli is senior lecturer in comparative politics at the University of Kent. 3 1 M Q U P F A L L 2 0 1 7 P O L I T I C A L S T U D I E S • E U R O P E A N S T U D I E S Restructuring the European State European Integration and State Reform paolo dardanelli Why European integration fuels state disintegration. S P E C I F I C AT I O N S December 2017 978-0-7735-5152-7 $39.95A CDN, $34.95A US, £29.99 cloth 6 x 9 336pp 23 tables, 3 drawings eBook available