Economics

Science and technology are crucial drivers of societal change. Yet, a paradox is embedded in the current situation. On the one hand, it seems that societies are more dependent than ever on science and technology to solve social problems. On the other hand, scientific and technological contributions are deeply controversial, right up to the denial of their significance. It also seems that with developments like digitalisation and climate change or the environmental crisis, changes in science and technology are intimately connected with changes in society—and vice versa. The exact reach of these presumed shifts is a matter for empirical and conceptual inquiry—but already various complex phenomena, like emotive public outbursts, resistance and criticism, can be observed. Controversies and criticism about the forms, limitations and consequences of science and technology alike have become more intense. However, it also seems that there are shifts in the epistemic tectonics of contemporary societies. Against this backdrop, the series of publications entitled ‘Wissenschafts- und Technikforschung’ (Science and Technology Studies) provides a forum in which these developments can be researched in different dimensions, with diverse approaches from across the entire spectrum of science and technology studies. What kind of significant changes to scientific knowledge production and the genesis, production and application of technology can currently be observed? How could these be analysed in the best way and what scientific instruments and methods must be developed for this purpose? In order to find answers to these questions, theories and methods from various thematically relevant disciplines, especially from sociology, philosophy, social anthropology and history, will be applied. This may result in an integral or rather agonistic science and technology studies programme. In any case, it will generate a better self-understanding of science and technology studies within this series. The series provides both foundational knowledge in the all scientific disciplines involved as well as guidelines for decision makers and all those interested in this subject area.

Due to rapid changes and unexpected developments, academic studies of international politics are becoming increasingly complex. In order to examine constantly shifting objects of study, research on international politics must continually revise the theoretical and empirical frameworks and methodology employed. Moreover, both academic research in general and international politics studies in particular should go beyond mere analysis and offer normative guidance to policy makers. The challenges of such a multilevel field of research can only be met by an interdisciplinary approach, in which important insights from both political science and philosophy are applied to studies of topics ranging from armed conflicts, political and religious extremism, migration, identity issues, contested economic structures and regulations, and international law-making to humanitarian intervention and climate change. This book series consists of anthologies of works by philosophers and political scientists and experts from related subjects as well as monographs written by authors with the respective disciplines as a background. All texts submitted for publication in this series undergo a rigorous process of double-blind peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by at least two referees. The editorial process is overseen by the editors and supported by two editorial assistants.

This series of publications is dedicated to the processes of change and challenges arising from the digitisation of the economy and society. It focuses primarily on the question of how the fundamental rights to privacy and informational self-determination can be guaranteed and provides a forum for interdisciplinary academic exchange. It presents theoretical, empirical, basic and application-oriented work and contributes to the foundation and objectification of the public discourse on these topics. In particular, results from the ‘Forum Privatheit’, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, appear in the series.

What should we do? What should we not do? What is good conduct? What is the right thing to do? Thanks to our freedom and in our human dignity, such moral and ethical questions arise and challenge us. Ethics as a science that reflects on and examines morality strives to contribute to the clarification of these and similar questions and to offer ethical guidance. The series of publications entitled ‘Ethik – Ethics’ offers a forum for this ethical discourse. It focuses on the ethics of digital transformation and the ethics of so-called ‘artificial intelligence’ or data-based systems, on business, financial and corporate ethics as well as on the ethics of human rights. ‘Ethik – Ethics’ is characterised by the interplay of theologically ethical and philosophically ethical investigations, which can also go beyond these focal points. This series is characterised by excellent studies that identify new and innovative questions, develop approaches to address them and deal with fundamental ethical as well as specialised ethical topics.

Denkart Europa | Mindset Europe presents international academic analyses and contributions on a broad range of Europe-related subjects. The book series addresses the general public worldwide and contributes to the reflection on political and societal developments in Europe. With Denkart Europa | Mindset Europe, the foundation ASKO EUROPA-STIFTUNG and Europäische Akademie Otzenhausen present the outcomes of their versatile activities. Its monographies, anthologies, essays and handbooks invite to a continuous interdisciplinary discourse on Europe.

Analysing economic phenomena from a sociological perspective poses a number of transdisciplinary challenges which are both highly topical and relevant. This means that the complementary research fields of economic sociology and political economics are among the most dynamic areas of the social sciences in both theoretical and empirical terms. Economic sociology offers analytical perspectives on the logic of economic activity and the way it is embedded into social structures, which are arranged in a continuum of market relations, networks, organisational hierarchies and other coordinating bodies. Research papers from this field therefore deal with a vast array of subjects, ranging from entrepreneurship, innovation and organisation in the workplace to monetary economics and financial markets. Political economics complements and supplements economic sociology’s focus on action by taking institutional interaction between economic and political systems into consideration and by treating the state’s involvement in the organisation of economic processes as particularly significant. In this respect, the issue of variations in capitalist market economies in the context of globalisation assumes a central role. The series of publications entitled “Wirtschaftssoziologie und Politische Ökonomie” (Economic Sociology and Political Economics) therefore provides a forum for theoretical and empirical works from these research areas with no thematic restrictions.

This series of publications is dedicated to the analysis of international security crises and conflicts. Through anthologies and monographs, expertise from theory and practice is combined to promote dialogue and provide an all-encompassing situation report. Accordingly, German (and European) security and defence policies are examined with regard to each area of conflict and potential solutions are developed.