1st Edition

German Federalism in Transition Reforms in a Consensual State

Edited By Carolyn Rowe, Wade Jacoby Copyright 2010
    218 Pages
    by Routledge

    218 Pages
    by Routledge

    Federalism in Germany has come to be viewed as the root cause of the country’s current economic and social malaise. The federal political system which contributed enormously to the economic success and political stability of West Germany is now said to be outdated, overburdened and unworkable. German federalism is now widely seen as being synonymous with Reformstau (reform blockage) and Stillstand (inertia). Critics argue that the system urgently needs to change if Germany is to continue to compete in the global system.

    This major new text offers a unique scholarly evaluation of the major recent attempts to overhaul Germany’s federal political architecture. It brings together thematic chapters by leading authorities on German federalism to provide a comprehensive assessment of the reform processes to date, their inception, scope, objectives and outputs. The contributions provide new insights into the dynamics of reform in key policy areas such as economic policy, Europe and the tax equalisation system, as well as in the institutional frameworks for decision-making. It will be essential reading for students of Germany, its politics, law and economics.

    This book was published as a special issue of the German Politics.

    1. Introduction: German Federalism in Transition?

    Carolyn Moore (University of Birmingham, UK)

    Wade Jacoby (Brigham Young University, USA)

    Arthur B. Gunlicks (University of Richmond, Virginia, USA)

    Part I: Federalism Reform Round 1

    2. A More Efficient and Accountable Federalism? An Analysis of the Consequences of Germany’s 2006 Constitutional Reform

    Simone Burkhart (Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Cologne, Germany)

    Philip Manow (University of Konstanz, Germany)

    Daniel Ziblatt (Harvard University, USA)

    3. A Successful Failure? The Contested Implications of Germany’s Federal Reforms

    Marcus Höreth (University of Göttingen, Germany)

    4. Still No Exit from the Joint Decision Trap: The German Federal Reform(s)

    Katrin Auel (University of Oxford, UK)

    5. From Joint Decision Traps to Over-regulated Federalism: Adverse Effects of a Successful Constitutional Reform

    Arthur Benz (University of Hagen, Germany)

    Part II: Fiscal Federalism and Reform Round 2

    6. Fiscal Federalism in Germany: Problems, Proposals and Chances for Fundamental Reforms

    Beate Jochimsen (Free University of Berlin, Germany)

    7. An End to the Reform Logjam? The Reform of German Federalism and Economic Policy-Making

    Reimut Zohlnhöfer (University of Bamberg, Germany)

    8. Public Attitudes towards German Federalism: A point of Departure for a Reform of German (Fiscal) Federalism? Differences between Public Opinion and the Political Debate

    Thieß Petersen, Henrik Scheller, Ole Wintermann (Bertelsmann Foundation, Germany)

    9. Side Payments over Solidarity: Financing the Poor Cousins in Germany and the EU

    Wade Jacoby (Brigham Young University, USA)

    Part III: A Wider View

    10. Disentangling Double ‘Politikverflechtung’? The Implications of the Federal Reforms for Bund-Länder Relations on Europe

    Carolyn Moore (University of Birmingham, UK)

    Annegret Eppler (University of Tübingen, Germany)

    11. Community, Diversity and Autonomy: The Challenges of Reforming German Federalism

    Fritz W. Scharpf (Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Germany)

    12. Groundhog Day: The Non-Reform of German Federalism, Again

    Charlie Jeffery (University of Edinburgh, UK)

    Biography

    Carolyn Moore is the Deputy Director of the Institute of German Studies, and Programme Director of the European Studies MA, at the European Research Institute, University of Birmingham, UK.

    Wade Jacoby is Professor of Political Science, Brigham Young University, USA.