Die Öffentlichkeitsarbeit des Staates und die Akzeptanz seiner Entscheidungen

Just as in the private sector, the public communication activities of state institutions have gained increased weight and significance in our media society. In contrast to the public relations of private institutions, however, the communications of public authorities are subject to severe constitutional restrictions. Promotional activities by state institutions can pose a serious threat to the free process of forming a political opinion in a democratic society. At the same time, public authorities are facing increased demands for transparency and increasing difficulties in gaining acceptance for their decisions, which has been underlined in particular by recent protest movements. Against this background, this thesis, which was supervised at the University of Frankfurt, analyses the informal communications of state institutions and public acceptance of their decisions from a constitutional point of view. It identifies the legal scope within which public institutions are justified in promoting their decisions by means of public communication activities.