Politics

Many smaller polities are well known both for their special achievements as well as for particular problems of democratic governance. The political and scientific relevance of these experiences reaches well beyond the borders of the countries immediately concerned. For this reason, the study of smaller countries has long become a constituent part of international democracy and governance research. This series creates a forum specifically dedicated to the analysis of politics and democratic governance in the smaller European countries including their international aspects. The series encompasses case studies as well as comparative contributions whose focus is not necessarily strictly confined to the family of smaller democracies in Europe. The international team of accomplished editors ensures that volumes published in this series will meet the highest standards of international research.

This series presents new findings of research on Japan and its place, connections, and interactions within East Asia. Politically, people often perceive Japan as part of the “West”, whereas culturally the nation appears to many still as “the (essential) Other”. Instead of localizing Japan in such a simplistic way – be it as part of “the West” or as part of the “East” – it is assumed here that a historical configuration exists in East Asia which distinguishes interactions in the region. The present situation of East Asia should be understood against the background of Japan’s role in modern and contemporary history. In addition, Japan will be analyzed also as a pioneer when it comes to integrating East Asian countries into international institutions and scholarly exchange. Methodologically, the contributions to the series are not limited to one single approach. However, it will be mandatory to use primary sources in Japanese and other East Asian languages and to refer to research results of Japanese scholars in order to fulfil a truly international standard of research. An internationally composed advisory board guarantees the scholarly quality of each volume. Contributions to this series are of interest for scholars and students in History, Political Science, Intellectual History, Sociology and, of course, in area studies of East Asia.

The series ”Religion – Wirtschaft – Politik“ (Religion–Economy–Politics) provides a platform for academic publications by the Centre for Religion, Economy and Politics (www.zrwp.ch ), a joint venture by the Universities of Basel, Fribourg, Lausanne, Lucerne, Zurich, and the Collegium Helveticum. The ZRWP aims to analyse the interactions between religion, economy, and politics in an inter- and transdisciplinary way by encouraging innovative research on religion. By publishing monographs and edited volumes focused on content and methods, the series contributes to a better understanding and explanation of religion in society at a local, regional, national, and transnational level in a globalizing world.

The series "Transformation, Development, and Regionalization in Greater Asia" reflects Asia's increasing relevance and importance for International and Foreign Policy Studies today. Asia's experiences with transforming political systems, development processes, and regional cooperation demand special attention. Asia, which is made up of nation states and related subregional and regional actors, constitutes a subject for studies in social sciences, economy, law and history. In particular, Asia provides interesting experiences and models for political, economic, and socio-cultural processes – including progress, stagnation, and regression – and thus enriches the theoretical debate. In addition to Asian studies and intra-Asian regionalization studies, this book series covers both the relations between Greater Asia and Europe and Asia's role in the international system and participation in Global Governance. This series aims at stimulating further interdisciplinary research on Greater Asia and will encourage cooperation between Asian and European scholars. The series Transformation, Development, and Regionalization in Greater Asia is edited by Prof. Dr. Christoph Schuck and Matthias Heise, M.A., Department of Philosophy and Political Science, TU Dortmund University.

The series of publications entitled “Ethik in den Sozialwissenschaften” (Ethics in Social Science) provides a forum for academic contributions to the debate on the current moral problems affecting social structures and systems. From an ethical point of view, this series focuses on addressing the question of what ef-fects social institutions and regimes have on human dignity and the welfare of communities. It discusses moral dilemmas so as to highlight general acceptable solutions to them. It takes up the challenge of using normative theories to ana-lyse sociological problems in order to develop ethical criteria for developing operable solutions to them. As a result, the series welcomes contributions from the entire range of subjects related to social science and ethics. Its goal is to constructively criticise structural contexts to which no satisfactory solutions have been found so far.

The book series addresses topical political, economic and social developments in China. It seeks to offer new insights gained from in-depth social science research undertaken by a growing community of political scientists and economists specialized on China to a larger audience in academia, business and politics. As such, the series highlights the global relevance of this emerging country for understanding and addressing the political and economic challenges of our time.