Hans Dembowski has a PhD in sociology from Bielefeld University. His thesis dealt with urban development and the judiciary in Calcutta. Currently, he is the editor of D+C Development and Cooperation (www.inwent.org/d+c) and the German twin publication E+Z Entwicklung und Zusammenarbeit. Law and governance matters are still of core interest to him, though his focus is no longer exclusively on South Asia. Before joining D+C in late 2003, he worked for the economics desks of a national daily in Germany (Frankfurter Rundschau) and Radio Deutsche Welle.
He is the author of "Taking the State to Court – Public Interest Litigation and the Public Sphere in Metropolitan India" (www.asienhaus.de/taking-state-to-court). The original version was published by OUP in 2001, but distribution was soon discontinued because of contempt-of-court proceedings before the Calcutta High Court. The case is still pending, he was never officially notified of the matter.