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Sven Steinmo, European University Institute, Florence, sven.steinmo@eui.eu

The European Politics and Society section welcomes papers for the 2009 APSA meeting under the theme "Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era." We find this theme particularly appropriate for students of European politics and society. European societies and political economies are clearly in motion. But given the significant variation and complexity within Europe, consistent patterns are difficult to discern. Certainly there are profound challenges - international economic competition, aging populations, growing ethnic diversity, and increasingly obvious divisions between insiders and outsiders. It is far from the case, however, that all European countries are buckling under these pressures. In fact, many European nations are performing well economically and some even appear to be groping toward new kinds of social stability. Indeed, the once nearly hegemonic neo-liberal economic model that swept across Europe in recent years appears to be off the agenda in several European states - even though it is far from clear what will move in to replace it.

We are interested in paper and panel proposals that explore the complex interactions between the social, demographic, economic and political forces pressing European societies today. We take the term complexity not to simply imply "complicated," but rather to suggest sets of complex interactions between systems and sub-systems within the political economy and society. To what extent do we see common patterns and responses and to what extent do the complex interactions between these variables create unique problems and/or policy opportunities? Proposals that specifically explore complexity or evolutionary theories in the context of these substantive social and policy challenges will be particularly welcome.