Preface

For a considerable while, there has been a need for a thorough English-language Handbook on Ordoliberalism. Such a book should aim at meeting the needs of both established researchers and students globally—and hopefully also the international public.

A project to this effect materialised when, in 2019, Peter Nedergaard suggested to Werner Bonefeld that the time was ripe for a Handbook of Ordoliberalism. Thomas Biebricher joined the editorial team subsequent to that.

Oxford University Press immediately responded very positively to our book proposal, and the reviewers’ comments were equally encouraging. We would like to thank Dominic Byatt from Oxford University Press for his speedy and constructive handling of our project from beginning to end.

The book idea also met with positive responses when we approached potential authors. We thank all of them for their contributions and for productive deliberations during the editorial process.

The Handbook was written and edited during the COVID-19 pandemic, which claimed the lives of so many and temporarily stopped our way of life. We are grateful to our authors for the timely delivery of their chapters in difficult circumstances, even though we did not meet physically for workshop discussions as originally planned.

During the whole process, Research Assistant Trine Cosmus Nobel, University of Copenhagen, provided much needed editorial assistance, and Terry Mayer from the United Kingdom carefully edited final drafts. We are grateful to both of them.

Thomas Biebricher, Werner Bonefeld and Peter Nedergaard