Decentralising Policy Responsibility and Political Authority in Germany

Preface
Contents
About the Authors
Abbreviations
List of Tables
1 Decentralising Policy Responsibility and Political Authority in Germany: Introduction
1 Introduction: Why Study Decentralisation in Federal Systems?
2 Why Study Decentralisation in Germany? The Story of Competence Reallocation
3 Understanding the Impact of Decentralisation on Policy Outputs in Federal Systems
4 Possible Impacts of Decentralisation
5 Federal Reform in Germany in the 2000s: The Context of Our Study
6 Federalism Reform I—2006
Federalism Reform I—What Was Changed?
7 Federalism Reform II—2009
Federalism Reform II—What Was Changed?
8 Reform of the Fiscal Equalisation Scheme
Fiscal Equalisation—What Was Changed?
9 Structure of This Book
10 Conclusion: Understanding Federal Reform
References
2 Higher Education Policy
1 Introduction
2 The Changing Nature of Higher Education Policy in Germany Prior to Federal Reform in 2006
3 Legislation on Higher Education: The Gradual Shift
The Reform Dynamic Within Germany Prior to 2006: Towards a Rebalancing of Competences
Pre-2006 Changes at the University Level: Fostering Competitiveness Through Autonomy
The Rise and Fall of Tuition Fees: The Role of Federalism
4 Higher Education Governance and the Federal Reform Debate
Party Political Views on Proposed Changes
5 The 2006 Federal Reforms in the Area of Higher Education Governance
Evaluation and Discussion
6 The Impact of the 2006 Federal Reforms to Higher Education Governance
The New Legislative Landscape
Explaining Partisan Variation
Controversies in Developing New Modes of State-University Governance: The Case of North Rhine Westphalia
The New Financial Landscape of Higher Education
Human Resources at Universities Following the Federal Reforms
7 The Continuing Reform Dynamic Since the 2006 Federal Reforms: Subsequent Changes to Higher Education Governance in Germany
The Hochschulpakt (University Pact) 2020
The Excellence Initiative
Redrafting Article 91b and Lifting the Ban on Cooperation
The Embedding of the Bologna Process in German Higher Education
8 Conclusion
References
3 Care Homes Policy
1 Introduction
2 The Shifting Framework of Responsibility for Care Homes in Germany
Amendments Made to the Law on Care Homes in the 2006 Federal Reforms
3 The Implications of Decentralisation; Understanding Variation in Care Homes Laws Since 2016
The Scope and Reach of the New Länder Laws on Care Homes
Room Requirements
Involvement and Strengthening the Autonomy of Residents
Inspection Regimes
Qualifications of Staff
4 Discussion and Conclusions
References
4 Prisons and Justice Policy
1 Introduction
2 Reconfiguring Responsibility for Prisons and Justice Policy in Germany
Reforms in Detail
The Specific Reforms Concluded
Responses to the 2006 Reform decision—a Downward Spiral, and a Farce?
3 Developing and Implementing the New Legislation on Prisons
Youth justice
Aims of punishment
Entitlement to Single Cells
Open and Closed Prisons
Accommodation in Living Groups (Wohngruppen)
Access to Therapy
Youth Justice—conclusions
Adult prisons
Aims of Punishment
Open and Closed Prisons
Early Release for Those Serving Life Sentences
Duty to Work
Participation
Adult Prisons—conclusions
Pre-trial detention
Preventative detention
Analysing the Implications of Decentralisation in Prisons and Justice Policy
Variations in the Implementation of Prisons Policy in the Länder Post-2006
Towards a New German Justice Policy: National Laws, Regional Variation?
Conclusion
References
5 Reform of Public Service Regulation
1 Introduction
2 Understanding Beamte Status in German Public Life
3 The Shifting Legal Framework Governing Beamte Ahead of the Federal Reforms
4 Reform Proposals in and Around the Federalism Commission
5 Federal Reform in the Area of Public Service Law
6 Evaluating the Impact of the Federal Reforms
Levels of Pay Since the 2006 Reforms
Career “Tourism”
Career Structures and the Systems of Service Classes Since the 2006 Reforms
7 Evaluation and Discussion
8 Conclusions
References
6 The Changing Face of German Parties in the Federal System
1 Political Parties in the German Federal System
2 Regional Distinctiveness in German Political Parties
The CSU
The CDU
The SPD
Alliance 90/The Greens
The FDP
The Left Party (Die Linke)
The Alternative for Germany (AfD)
Other Parties
3 Coalition Politics
4 Voting Behaviour in Land Elections
5 The Land Level in Party Organisations and Cabinet Recruitment
6 Operation of the Bundesrat
7 Conclusion
References
7 Germany and the COVID-19 Pandemic
1 Introduction
2 Pandemic Management in German Federalism
3 The First Phase of the Pandemic (February to December 2020): Federalism Working Well?
4 The Second Phase of the Pandemic: January 2021–July 2021: Recentralisation?
5 Restrictions in a Time of Rising Vaccination Rates: July 2021–March 2022
6 The Pandemic, Public Opinion, and the Nature of German Federalism
7 Lessons of the Pandemic for German Federalism
References
8 Conclusions
1 Decentralisation and the Reform of German Federalism
2 Our Empirical Findings: Policy-Specific Dynamics with an Increased Visibility of Territorial Diversity
3 Racing to the Bottom, the top—or Even to the Middle?
4 Understanding Pressures for Diversity in a Reformed German Federal System
5 The New Dynamics of German Federalism—future Look
References