The Northeast Asian security environment is closely linked to Korea's growth perspectives for the future. The spectacular rise of the South Korean economy in the past half century, also known as "Miracle on the Han River," has been duly highlighted as one of the most successful cases of economic development worldwide. However, among the factors curbing South Korea's growth perspectives has been, from the very beginning of its rise, the coexistence of the difficult neighbour to the North, Democratic People's Republic of Korea. While in the cold war this coexistence has been taken as inevitable, after the end of the cold war there were hopes to overcome this obstacle to further growth either through collapse or enhanced cooperation with the North, neither of which became reality. North Korea's unprecedented aggressiveness and development of long-range ballistic missiles and nuclear devices, made this threat truly an international question with multilateral talks coming into existence as ad-hoc measures to cope with the nuclear crisis. It was then that the idea of a Northeast Asian Security Community was born. The contributions in this book discuss how a peaceful solution of the security problems could not only enhance stability of Korea's economy and reduce the defense burden considerably (the so-called peace dividend), but would facilitate regional investments safer and regional solutions for common economic problems. When discussing the possibilities of a security framework or, in an institutionalized form, security community, in Northeast Asia, the authors in this volume are realistic as to not fall into the trap of wishful thinking, which so often has characterized approaches to North Korea resulting in disappointment. The past two years again saw the rising of tensions in Northeast Asia and the masterful way in which even an impoverished and isolated country can play its cards. While it seems a new ice age between the two Koreas is possible, nevertheless and maybe even more than ever the search for a stable security framework for Northeast Asia as a precondition for peaceful economic cooperation and development will go on. The chapters in this volume contribute to the ongoing debate to secure peace and development in Northeast Asia, making this book of interest to both academics and policy-makers alike.

Korea as a "middle power" in the last decades saw a growing importance, partly through greater economic clout, partly through greater cultural and soft power ("K-pop"), and partly through collective action in institutions like G 20. However, recent instability in Northeast Asia, plus growing trade conflicts and political conflicts in the region and worldwide, endanger this position. Moreover, the tremendous rise of China in economic, geo-political and cultural terms overshadowed the Korean development. However, also here the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative seems to dominate the headlines, as well as the policy fora and practical business decisions. Therefore, this book discusses an urgent, indeed pressing topic: how can middle powers like South Korea and Germany benefit from closer economic and political linkages across the Eurasian landmass, in particular the Belt and Road Initiative dominated by China.? Should they rather jump on the bandwagon or should they follow distinct own initiatives, either in their region or inter-regionally?

Der Arbeitsmarkt stellt traditionell in vielen marktwirtschaftlich organisierten Gesellschaften einen Ausnahmebereich dar. Dabei darf nicht vergessen werden, dass es sich auch beim Arbeitsmarkt um einen Markt handelt, bei dem die Preisbildung durch Angebot und Nachfrage zustande kommt. Derzeit sind Fachkraftemangel und Migration die zentralen Themen. Die Beitrage diskutieren die Interdependenz dieser beiden Entwicklungen sowohl aus volkswirtschaftlicher als auch aus betriebswirtschaftlicher Perspektive. Zusatzlich untersuchen sie sektorale Arbeitsmarkte in Europa sowie internationale Entwicklungen, sowohl im Hinblick auf die marktlichen Aspekte als auch auf die staatliche Regulierung. Damit bietet der Band einen vielseitigen UEberblick uber die derzeit meistdiskutierten Themen der Arbeitsmarktentwicklung.

South Korea underwent a dramatic change in the last one and a half decades, from being considered a "tiger in trouble" in the wake of the Asian crisis to a showcase of economic development. The judgment of 1998 was itself a complete reversal of the previous enthusiastic reviews of world record-high growth for several decades, from the 1960s to the 1990s. Korea, once considered a shrimp between two mighty whales, Japan and China, veritably made a jump to become a tiger. And, after the steep decline of 1998, this tiger again showed its claws. This book deals not with the causes of the crisis in retrospect, but rather with the implications for the development of a new economic model in South Korea. It argues that the crisis and the following institutional change can best be understood by applying the theory of economic transformation.

Since the end of the Cold War, scholars and analysts have been predicting the collapse of the communist regime in North Korea. Yet, despite a deteriorating economy characterized by declining industrial output, outdated technology, and difficulty feeding its people, the country has been able to persist and continues to plod along. How has North Korea been able to survive, and how long can it last without significant change to its economic and political structures? How can we peacefully resolve the North Korean nuclear standoff through constructive dialogue? This book examines North Korea's survival strategy and offers practical solutions to a 50-year nuclear standoff through a series of essays written by 15 of the world's foremost scholars and leading experts on strategy, economics and international relations. It is essential reading for anyone interested in peace in Northeast Asia and will be invaluable in helping policy-makers, diplomats, politicians, researchers and other North Korea watchers to understand three closely related issues about North Korea: (1) why North Korea will continue to survive; (2) how the United States and North Korea can build a mutual confidence; and (3) why a dialogue is the only viable way to resolve the North Korea problem peacefully.