"This book takes seriously the properties of a society that emerges out of the increasing interaction of national societies in Europe. Based on an impressive grasp of comparative research the authors succeed in making sense of a `transnational' perspective on the emerging European society." Klaus Eder, Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany<BR><BR>"This is the first - and will probably for some time remain the only - book to cover systematically the social structure of the whole of Europe, east and west, written from the perspective of two authors. It manages to be highly accessible to students while not compromising at all its seriousness and academic integrity." Colin Crouch, University of Warwick, UK<BR><BR>This comprehensive textbook provides a thorough analysis of the nature of European societies across the expanded EU member states. Using a wealth of data, the authors compare the different dimensions of the territorial and social order of Europe and address a range of issues relating to Europeanisation and key topics such as inequality, migration, poverty, population and family, the labour market and education. Presented in a student-friendly way, this book also helps unravel people's attitudes towards Europe, European integration and citizens of other European countries. It will be an essential read for undergraduate and postgraduate students and academics of sociology, European studies, social stratification, social policy and political sciences.