  "What is an algorithm?" is a fundamental question of computer science.
Gurevich's behavioural theory of sequential algorithms (aka the sequential ASM
thesis) gives a partial answer by defining (non-deterministic) sequential
algorithms axiomatically, without referring to a particular machine model or
programming language, and showing that they are captured by (non-deterministic)
sequential Abstract State Machines (nd-seq ASMs). Moschovakis pointed out that
recursive algorithms such as mergesort are not covered by this theory. In this
article we propose an axiomatic definition of the notion of sequential
recursive algorithm which extends Gurevich's axioms for sequential algorithms
by a Recursion Postulate and allows us to prove that sequential recursive
algorithms are captured by recursive Abstract State Machines, an extension of
nd-seq ASMs by a CALL rule. Applying this recursive ASM thesis yields a
characterization of sequential recursive algorithms as finitely composed
concurrent algorithms all of whose concurrent runs are partial-order runs.
