Der deutsche Föderalismus

This is the first attempt to locate German federalism in the framework of a normative theory of federalism. The book is based on the assumption that democracy and federalism are inseparable. It deals with the preconditions of German federalism, the quasi Second Chamber (Bundesrat), reforms of federalism, and policies and party politics in the German Länder. It can draw on thirty years of research on federalism. The book’s chapters include international comparisons of the federal experience. This experience demonstrates not only the need for going back to basic questions of democratic governance, but also the narrowness of the present German debate on federalism. The book contributes to a fresh and broader understanding of German federalism and its future perspectives.