Search results

The book is written for active learners – those keen on cutting their own path through the complex and at times hardly comprehensible world of THEORY in International Relations. To aid this process as much as possible, this book employs the didactical and methodical concept of integrating teaching and self-study. The criteria for structured learning about IR theory will be derived from an extensive discussion of the questions and problems of philosophy of science (Part 1). Theory of IR refers to the scientific study of IR and covers all of the following subtopics: the role and status of theory in the academic discipline of IR; the understanding of IR as a science and what a "scientific" theory is; the different assumptions upon which theory building in IR is based; the different types of theoretical constructions and models of explanations found at the heart of particular theories; and the different approaches taken on how theory and the practice of international relations are linked to each other. The criteria for the structured learning process will be applied in Part 2 of the book during the presentation of five selected theories of International Relations. The concept is based on "learning through example" – that is, the five theories have been chosen because, when applying the criteria developed in Part 1 of the book, each single theory serves as an example for something deeply important to learn about THEORY of IR more generally

Untersuchungsgegenstand der Arbeit ist eine neorealistische Hypothese, wonach ein Staat in der Regel auf die Vorteile einer potentiellen Kooperation verzichtet, sollte sein Kooperationspartner einen größeren Vorteil – einen relativen Gewinn – aus der Zusammenarbeit erzielen als er selbst. Zeitweilig war dies ein dominierendes Thema in der politikwissenschaftlichen Theoriediskussion zwischen Vertretern des Neorealismus und Neoliberalismus, doch hat die Debatte um die Relevanz relativer Gewinne kein allgemein akzeptiertes Ergebnis erbracht. Unter Verwendung eines spieltheoretischen Instrumentariums werden daher die verbreitetsten theoretischen Darstellungen verglichen, um Hypothesen für die anschließende empirische Überprüfung am Beispiel der amerikanisch-chinesischen Beziehungen zu gewinnen. ; The study investigates a neorealistic assumption whereby states normally abstain from gains of potential cooperations, if the other side achieved an even greater gain from that cooperation. The debate on inhibiting effects of such relative gains dominated temporarily theoretical discussions among neorealistic and neoliberal scholars, but did not yield a widely accepted result. By means of game theoretic methods common descriptions of relative gains issues are being compared to obtain a hypothesis for the empirical examination of sino-american relations.

Schäfer, C.: The WSI surveys of works and staff councils - an overview. - S. 3-13. Keller, B.; Schnell, R.: On the empirical analysis of staff councils - structural data and problems of interest representation. - S. 14-23. Bispinck, R.; Schulten, T.: Decentralisation of German collective bargaining? Current trends and assessments from a works and staff council perspective. - S. 24-33. WSI Collective Agreement Archive: Bargaining policy in the German system of industrial relations. - S. 34-41. Bispinck, R.; Kirsch, J.: Minimum standards between collective agreements and statutory provisions. - S. 42-48. Seifert, H.: Pradigm shift in working time policy through working time accounts - from standard working hours to controlled flexibility. - S. 49-55. Behrens, M.: The new German Constitution Act in practice. - S. 56-65. Klenner, C.; Lindecke, C.: Representation of women in works councils and equal treatment of men and women at company level. - S. 66-73

This dissertation studies the effects of fiscal policy and the challenges due to government debt. The first part of the work consists of an analysis of fiscal policy and government debt in theoretical models. We show in Chapter 2, how the public debt structure, split into internal and external debt, influences the outcome in means of the steady state of an economy within a three overlapping generations model. In Chapter 3, the effect of a national debt shock within the European Monetary Union is analyzed, taking a modified Galí/Monacelli New-Keynesian model for the EMU as a basis. In the second part, the manner and effectiveness of German fiscal policy in 1991-2009 are examined. Chapter 4 characterizes fiscal policy in Germany by using a production function based approach. Finally, we show in Chapter 5, how fiscal shocks would have affected the main German economic variables in 1991-2009; the analysis is carried out in a structural vector autoregression model framework. In this context, special attention is paid to international trade variables since Germany is characterized by its export-orientation and the need for imported goods. In times of the lasting financial and economic crisis in the European Monetary Union, the examined topics are more existent than ever.

'Ausgangspunkt der Untersuchung sind die in der Literatur zu findenden Gegensätze, die man den Disziplinen Politik- und Geschichtswissenschaft idealtypisch zuschreibt. Demnach existiere eine große Kluft zwischen den beiden Fächern. Der Artikel untersucht zunächst die spezifischen Gegenstände und methodologischen Besonderheiten wissenschaftlichen Arbeitens in beiden Disziplinen. Es wird argumentiert, dass die zu findenden Charakteristika nicht fundamentaler Natur sind. Trotzdem ist die gegenseitige Rezeption nur gering ausgeprägt. Historische Arbeiten werden in der Politikwissenschaft (wenn überhaupt) nur zur Überprüfung empirischer Sachverhalte genutzt, sozialwissenschaftliche Theorien nur in seltenen Fällen systematisch in historischen Studien verwendet. Historische Analysen leisten jedoch mehr als eine Erweiterung der Datenbasis; sie lenken den Blick auf Phänomene, für deren Erklärung eine klare Prozessorientierung notwendig ist. Eine rein synchron ausgerichtete Politikwissenschaft verschließt sich systematisch Erkenntnismöglichkeiten, die erst durch eine historische Perspektive sichtbar werden. Umgekehrt systematisiert eine theoretische Orientierung historisches Arbeiten und macht deren Ergebnisse anschlussfähig für die Sozialwissenschaften.' (Autorenreferat)