500th volume of “Studien zum ausländischen und internationalen Privatrecht” published as open access text
The Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law publishes a broad array of journals and academic literature. The Institute's series “Studien zum ausländischen und internationalen Privatrecht” (StudIPR) has reached a particular milestone with the publication of its 500th volume in May 2023. It is one of three series produced by the Institute in a cooperative agreement with Mohr Siebeck allowing for open access publication.
“Beiträge zum ausländischen und internationalen Privatrecht” has been published since 1928. Following the launch of "Materialien zum ausländischen und internationalen Privatrecht" in 1951, "Studien zum ausländischen und internationalen Privatrecht" was later added in 1980 so as to allow for the publication of dissertations as well as edited volumes having a more narrow scope. Volume 500, titled "Proportionality in Private Law", is the result of an international conference hosted and organized by the Institute. The editors, Ben Köhler and Franz Bauer, compiled the English-language contributions of emerging scholars working in Europe and the USA. The edited volume was a natural candidate in the Institute’s quest to support open access publication. "Outstanding foundational research – the core aim of Max Planck Institutes – must break through the barriers of national and regional publication cultures if it is to benefit global academic exchange. Open access overcomes the financial and practical hurdles posed by limited library budgets and faced by researchers lacking their own financial means or access to libraries – it thus fosters greater participation in research both within Germany and internationally," says Institute Director Ralf Michaels.
Since its inception, the "Studien" series has created a forum for the publication of outstanding dissertations and other monographic studies authored not only by Institute scholars but also by external researchers. With its broad range of topics, the series reflects the diverse fields of research and methodological approaches pursued by the Institute and its academic partners.
As is demonstrated in Volume 500, the "Studien" series is also an effective vehicle for the publication of curated conference volumes in the wider field of comparative and international private law. The global availability that open access creates for the findings of such academic inquiries is valued by an increasing number of readers and publishers.
Image: © Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law
