Max Kaase, born in Krefeld, Germany, on 14 May, 1935. Since October 1, 2000, he is Vice President and Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the International University Bremen. He was professor of political science from 1980 to 1993 at the University of Mannheim and from 1993 until 2000 research professor at the Berlin Social Science Research Center ( WZB ). He has been a member of the German Science Council (Wissenschaftsrat ) from 1987 until 1992 and from 1992 until 1998 a member of the senate and of the executive committee (Hauptausschuß) of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Council). He also was a member of the Standing Committee for the Social Sciences of the European Science Foundation ( ESF ) and from 1999 to 2003 its Vice President .Furthermore, he was until 2000 head of Board of the Mannheim-based academic survey research centre, Zentrum für Umfragen, Methoden und Analysen, of which, from 1974 to 1980, he was its first director. He has published widely in the fields of comparative politics, political sociology and mass communication. His book publications range from Political Action (1979, co-authored with Samuel H. Barnes and others), to Beliefs in Government (1995, with Kenneth Newton), Estranged friends? The transatlantic consequences of societal change (1996, with Andrew Kohut) to Politisches System (1996, with Andreas Eisen and others). With Hans-Dieter Klingemann he has co-edited seven volumes in the series Wahlen und Wähler ( Elections and Voters ) covering all German national general elections from 1976 to 1998.