The Handbook of Political, Social, and Economic Transformation

Political, social, and economic transformation is a complex historical phenomenon. It can adequately be analysed only by a multidisciplinary approach. The Handbook brings together an international team of scholars who are specialists in their respective research fields. It introduces the most important areas, theories, and methods in transformation research, with particular attention placed on the historical and comparative dimension. Although focussing on post-communist and other democratic transformations in our epoch, the Handbook therefore presents and discusses not only their problems, paths, and developments, but also deals with the antecedent 'waves', beginning with the Meiji Restoration in Japan in 1868 and its aftermath.

The book is structured into six parts. Starting with basic concepts as systems, actors, and institutions (Section I), it gives an overview over major theoretical approaches and research methods (Sections II and III). The connection of theory and method with their application is essential, allowing special insights into the past and opens analytical avenues for transformation research in the future. Section (IV) provides a historically oriented description or interpretation of particular 'waves' or types of societal transformation. With a clear focus on present transformations, the contributions to Section V provide a description and discussion of the problems, structures, actors, and courses of the transformations within different spheres of (civil) society, politics, law, and economics. Finally, brief lexicographic entries in Section VI delineate research perspectives and facts about relevant issues of societal transformation. Each of the 79 contributions contains a concise list of the most important research literature.

Wolfgang Merkel, Director of the research unit 'Democracy and Democratization', WZB Berlin Social Science Center and Professor of Political Science at Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin, ,Raj Kollmorgen, Professor of Sociology and Management of Social Change, University of Applied Sciences Zittau/Gorlitz,Hans-Jurgen Wagener, Professor Emeritus, European University Viadrina Frankfurt/Oder and Rijksuniversiteit Groningen

1. Transformation and Transition Research: An Introduction, Wolfgang Merkel, Raj Kollmorgen, and Hans-Jurgen Wagener
Section I Theoretical Frameworks
2. System, Wolfgang Merkel, Julian Bruckner, and Hans-Jurgen Wagener
3. Institutions, Stefan Voigt
4. Actors, Wolfgang Merkel and Hans-Jurgen Wagener
Section II Research Approaches
5. Modernization Theories, Raj Kollmorgen
6. Transition Approaches, Julian Bruckner
7. Structuralism, Julian Bruckner
8. Cultural Approaches, Jan Kubik
9. Historical Institutionalism and Societal Transformations, Christoph H. Stefes
10. Development Economics and Transformation Studies, Malcolm H. Dunn and Joseph P. Ganahl
11. Approaches to Transformation in Economics, Stefan Kolev and Joachim Zweynert
12. Political Economy Approaches, Frank Bonker
13. Political Steering Approach, Jurgen Beyer
14. Political Mobilization Approaches, Karl-Dieter Opp
15. Civil Society Approach, Grzegorz Ekiert
16. Combining Theoretical Approaches, Raj Kollmorgen and Wolfgang Merkel
Section III Methods
17. Macro-Qualitative Approaches, Carsten Q. Schneider
18. Micro-Qualitative Research, Bruno Hildenbrand
19. Quantitative Methods in Transformation Research, Gert Pickel and Susanne Pickel
20. Ethnographic Methods, Tatjana Thelen
21. Discourse Approaches, Johannes Angermuller and Raj Kollmorgen
22. Economic Methods, Martin Myant and Jan Drahokoupil
23. Comparative Methods in Transformation Research: Political Culture, Dirk Berg-Schlosser
Section IV Historic Waves and Types of Societal Transformations
24. Post-Absolutist Transformations in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries, Raj Kollmorgen
25. State-Socialist Transformations in the Twentieth Century, Dieter Segert
26. Transformation in Fascist Interbellum Europe, Alexander Nutzenadel
27. Democratic Transformations after the Second World War, Wolfgang Merkel and Johannes Gerschewski
28. China's Transformations in the Twentieth Century: Economic, Political and Cultural Interdependencies, Carsten Herrmann-Pillath
29. Postcolonial Transformations in Africa in the Twentieth Century, Siegmar Schmidt
30. Islamist Transformations: From Utopian Vision to Dystopian Reality, Naser Ghobadzadeh
31. Democratic Transitions in the Late Twentieth Century, Peter Thiery
32. Post-socialist Transformations in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries, Raj Kollmorgen
Section V Spheres
33. Civil Society, John Keane and Wolfgang Merkel
34. Law, Christian Kirchner and David Ehmke
35. Economy, Hans-Jurgen Wagener
Section VI Basic Problems of Transformation
36. Autocracy Promotion, Antje Kastner
37. Collective Identities, Anton Sterbling
38. Constitution-building, Astrid Lorenz
39. Corporative Actors: Parties, Associations, Bernhard Wessels
40. Deconsolidation of Democracy in East-Central Europe, Attila Agh
41. Defective Democracy, Aurel Croissant and Wolfgang Merkel
42. Democracy Promotion, Julia Leininger
43. Democratic Consolidation, Leonardo Morlino
44. Demographic Transitions, Jurgen Dorbritz
45. Dilemma of Simultaneity, Ilyas Saliba and Wolfgang Merkel
46. Economic Restructuring, Michael Fritsch
47. Elections and Transformation, Andreas Schedler
48. Elites, Cristobal Rovira Kaltwasser
49. External Transformation Anchors, Vera Trappmann
50. Founding Elections, Hans-Dieter Klingemann
51. Gender Relations, Silke Roth and Charlie Walker
52. Historical Legacies, Aurel Croissant
53. Hybrid Regimes, Alexander Schmotz
54. Institutional Transfer, Hans-Jurgen Wagener
55. Internationalization, Herman W. Hoen
56. Legal Systems and Economic Development, Katharina Pistor
57. Legitimacy, Daniel Lambach
58. Liberalization, Laszlo Csaba
59. Macroeconomic Stabilization, Marek Dabrowski
60. Mass Media, Barbara Thomass
61. Military Intervention, Sonja Grimm
62. Monetary Transformation, Hubert Gabrisch
63. Parties as Agents of Transition, Saara Inkinen
64. Phases of Transformation, Wolfgang Merkel and Lea Heyne
65. Political Culture, Detlef Pollack
66. Political Repression, Dag Tanneberg
67. Privatization, Bruno Dallago and Chiara Guglielmetti
68. Property Rights, Thomas Apolte
69. Regime Diffusion, Hans-Joachim Lauth
70. Regional Disparities, Hans-Joachim Burkner
71. Religious Change, Detlef Pollack
72. Rule of Law and Statehood, Anne van Aaken
73. Social Capital, Kenneth Newton
74. Social Inequalities, Raj Kollmorgen
75. Social Security, Katharina Muller
76. Stateness, Timm Beichelt
77. Strategies of Economic Transformation, Vladimir Popov
78. Transformation Crises, Jan Fidrmuc
79. Transitional Justice, Brigitte Weiffen
80. Value Change, Bernhard Wessels