The Arnold Bergstraesser Institute (ABI) is an independent research institute founded in 1960 and based in Freiburg. It conducts research on politics and society in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East in the areas of conflict, state and governance as well as (forced) migration. In addition to research, the transfer of knowledge to the wider public and into development policy practice is also one of the tasks.
There is close cooperation in research and teaching with the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität. Since 2008, the ABI is an “An-Institut”, since 2015, the director of the ABI is also Professor of Development Theories and Development Policy at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg. By legal status, the ABI is a registered non-profit association. The institute receives basic funding from the state of Baden-Württemberg.
The research results of the institute are published in journals, monographs and partly in their own series. With the referenced journal International Asian Forum (International Quarterly for Asian Studies), the institute provides an important public good to the Association of Asian Studies. The ABI has one of the largest special libraries for developing countries in the Federal Republic of Germany. The reference library is publicly accessible, the stock can be researched via an online catalog.