Comparative Politics – Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft

China's participation in international conflict resolution is increasing. This study deals with the motives, modes and factors that are driving Chinese foreign policy to apply the traditional Chinese non-intervention principle more flexibly and are thus establishing a changing role for China in the international system. The research approach developed allows China's official interventions in conflicts in Africa and the Middle East to be mapped systematically in order to uncover complex causal relationships. In addition, the study illustrates how Chinese priorities have already found their way into the United Nations and are changing international conflict resolution approaches.

Access to the social and political means of citizenship is a distinct expectation of those living and working in Nairobi’s urban informality. In an empirical analysis based on original survey data comparing rural and urban Kenya and focus-group discussions in informal settlements of Nairobi, this book shows that expectations of accessing public goods were high when people first arrived in the city and rose over time among dwellers in Nairobi’s urban informality, despite previous repeated frustrations of such expectations as well as strong attachments to rural areas. The book demonstrates that urban informality distinctly shapes citizenship.

Can established parties influence the electoral success of new parties? To answer this research question, the author examined the relationships of 168 new parties in 18 highly developed democracies with their established competitors based on their respective election programmes and election results. His analysis of the textual similarity of these election manifestos shows that established parties can influence their competitors' election results by selectively changing the emphasis of their policies. However, competition among the parties must also be taken into account. This study thus contributes to a better understanding of the dynamics of party competition and the opportunities offered by computer-assisted textual analysis in the social sciences.