The volume assembles studies on the works of Adalbert Stifter (1805-1868) and the reception accorded to them in the 19th and 20th centuries. Alongside interpretations of individual works there are also studies of recurrent motifs, and the purview ranges from questions pertaining to the genesis of texts to issues posed by the history of their impact. The volume closes with the first-ever publication of three of Adalbert Stifter's letters.

In the framework of their annual conference, the editors and experts working on the Historical-Critical Edition of the Works and Letters of Adalbert Stifter organized a symposium in Linz (St. Magdalena) from 22 to 25 October 2003 with the programmatic title AStifter and Stifter Research in the 21st CenturyA. The aim of the symposium was to make a significant contribution to the Stifter anniversary in 2005 (the 200th anniversary of his birth) concentrating on the topics 'biography - science - poetics' and reviewing and evaluating the research findings notably of the last 10 years with a view to formulating goals, tasks, and perspectives for future research on this author.

The Political Economy of Social Welfare Policy in Africa: Transforming policy through practice is a groundbreaking text that uses a political economy and human rights lens to analyse and critique social welfare policy in selected countries in Africa. Tracing the political transformation of South Africa and other sub-Saharan countries, it provides the reader with critical insight into how social welfare policy evolved during periods of colonial and post-colonial governance regimes and the contemporary period characterised by neoliberal globalisation. The text focuses on the interdependence of economic and social development policies and processes to advance human development and protect the basic human rights of all, especially the poorest and most marginalised.