Klaus von Beyme, a highly distinguished German political scientist, has been recognised as a ¿Pioneer in the Study of Political Theory and Comparative Politics¿. When he received the highly esteemed Mattei Dogan Award during the XXII World Congress of Political Science in Madrid on 12 July 2012, in his laudatio Rainer Eisfeld portrayed Klaus v. Beyme as a ¿Global Scholar and Public Intellectual¿. On the occasion of Klaus v. Beyme¿s 80th birthday this book offers a selection of his major previously published and new texts focusing on ¿Empirical Political Theory¿, ¿The Evolution of Comparative Politics, Revival of Normative Political Theory in Empirical Research¿, ¿Theodor W. Adorno - Political Theory as Theory of Aesthetics¿, ¿Historical Forerunners of Policy Studies¿, ¿Political Institutions ¿ Old and New¿, ¿Representative Democracy and the Populist Temptation¿, ¿Political Advisors to Politicians¿, and on ¿The Concept of Political Class: A New Dimension of Research on Elites?¿.

Beyme has repeatedly been accorded recognition for his scientific activities, amongst others, in 1995 Honorary Membership of the Humboldt University in Berlin, in 1998 the University Medal of the University of Heidelberg, and in 2001 an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Bern. Furthermore, he is a Member of the Academia Europaea and the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences. In 2008, he was honoured with the Schader Prize. On 2 September 2010 Beyme was honoured for his "enormous contribution to the development of Political Science in Europe and the entire world" and for his many years as Professor of Political Science at different universities around the world with an Honorary Professorship at Lomonosov University in Moscow. A study in 1998 ranked Beyme in the Top Ten of the world's Political Scientists.

Rainer Eisfeld: Klaus von Beyme: Pioneer in the Study of Political Theory and Comparative Politics: The Political Scientist as Global Scholar and Public Intellectual.- Walking on Two Legs: Comparative Politics in East and West.- Klaus von Beyme's Selected Publications.- Empirical Political Theory.- The Evolution of Comparative Politics.- Revival of Normative Political Theory in Empirical Research.- Theodor W. Adorno Political Theory as Theory of Aesthetics.- Historical Forerunners of Policy Analysis.- Political Institutions - Old and New.- Representative Democracy and the Populist Temptation.- Political Advisors to Politicians.- The Concept of Political Class: A New Dimension of Research on Elites.