These essays bring Weber's sociology to bear on the current transformation of the political landscape. After the collapse of communism, many states are faced with the challenges of democratization: they need to establish their legitimacy in an uncertain economic climate and within a new geopolitical order. The essays in this volume develop Weberian concepts and apply his comparative-historical method to deepen our understanding of these problems. They cover a wide range of examples, from the United States to Western and Eastern Europe, and from Russia and Japan to the Islamic states. RALPH SCHROEDER is Professor in the School of Technology Management and Economics at Chalmers University in Gothenburg. He is the author of Max Weber and the Sociology of Culture and Possible Worlds: The Social Dynamic of Virtual Reality Technology .