Competition versus Cooperation | Wettbewerb versus Kooperation

Federalism reform in Germany provided both the Forum of Federations and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation the opportunity to organize an international conference in Berlin from October 18 to 20, 2006. Twenty-eight renowned German and international experts and politicians discussed the Grand Coalition"s Federalism Reform I from the perspective of other federal systems and offered insight into the second stage of federalism reform. Wolfgang Schaeuble, German federal Minister of the Interior, and Arnold Koller, retired Federal President of Switzerland, both spoke during the official evening event.

These conference proceedings are presented in two languages and document the contributions and conclusions of the federalism conference. In accordance with the conference agenda, an international and a German participant each presented an article on a particular subject. The range of topics includes all relevant aspects of federalism. The foundations of the federal state are also highlighted, as is the division of responsibilities and finances between the Federation and the Laender. Different approaches to this relationship, including “top-down” and “bottom-up”, are also considered.