constitutional pluralism. The establishment of societal unity was a complex prob­lem for Heller and Abendroth. As the contributions collected in the volume show, the level of complexity has increased with Europeanization and internationaliza­tion. The approaches put forward in the book offer intelligent food for thought concerning why the simple – hasty – conclusion»back to the nation-state« cannot be drawn, but also how the reality of a society legally integrated at various levels can be captured theoretically and above all how it can be opened up for measures which shape it in a social direction. All in all, therefore, this collective volume rep­resents critical scholarship at its best. Thilo Scholle, Juridical Assessor(German:»Ass. iur.«), Lünen J. CALLAGHAN/ N. FISHMAN/ B. JACKSON/ M. MCIVOR(eds.): In Search of Social Democracy. Responses to Crisis and Modernisation Manchester and New York 2009 Manchester University Press, 304 pp. P. DIAMOND/ R. LIDDLE(eds.): Beyond New Labour. The Future of Social Democracy in Britain London 2009 Politico’s, 288 pp. M uch has been written recently about the dire state of social democracy, its intellectual emptiness, and the need for programmatic and organizational re­newal. After all, in 2010, only five out of 27 member states of the European Union are ruled by social democrats. Britain, France, Germany, and many other states are governed by center-right and liberal parties, with the social democrats trying hard to re-build their credentials in opposition. It seems to be the perfect moment to re-define social democracy and adapt it to a fast-changing global context. Two edited volumes, both published in 2009, approach the topic from differ­ent, yet often complementary angles.»In Search of Social Democracy,« edited by John Callaghan, Nina Fishman, Ben Jackson, and Martin McIvor, is a collection of academic essays. It presents a critical, yet optimistic and forward-looking alter­native to the apocalyptic writings of the moment. The strength of this book lies in its comparative and multidisciplinary approach to social democracy. Divided into three parts, the book strikes the(difficult) balance between the past, present, and future of social democracy and manages to successfully link classic socialist and republican thought with the challenges of modern policy-making in various countries across Europe and abroad. ipg 4/2010 Rezensionen/Book Reviews 251