Political Parties and Public Policy in the German Länder: When Parties Matter (New Perspectives in German Political Studies)

Political Parties and Public Policy in the German Länder considers the extent to which, and in what circumstances, political parties affect public policy. Exploring the regional level in Germany; using case studies in the areas of education, childcare and family, and labour market policy. 'Ed Turner's excellent study is richly informative, theoretically stimulating and highly original. It examines the much-neglected issue of party competition at the regional level in Germany, and offers insights both for scholars of German politics and of comparative politics more generally. And it is an essential corrective to the excessively national-level focus of most contemporary studies of Europe's most powerful country. Packed with excellent detail from its case-studies, this is a must-read for anyone with a serious interest in the nature of political conflict and policy debate in contemporary Germany.' - Lord Wood of Anfield, Fellow and Tutor in Politics, Magdalen College, Oxford, UK 'Turner's book breaks new ground in linking the debates on how federalism and partisan politics influence public policy. His thoroughly researched and powerfully argued analysis of the influence of parties on public policy in the German Lander makes an important contribution to our understanding of German politics.' - R. Daniel Kelemen, Jean Monnet Chair and Associate Professor of Political Science, Rutgers University, USA 'This important book analyses public policy on the sub-national level and asks for partisan influence. In doing so, Turner not only provides new insights about education, family and labour market policy, but he also opens up an area of comparative analysis all too often neglected outside the United States. Most of all, of course, scholars of German politics will profit from this carefully designed study.' - Andreas Busch, Professor of Comparative Politics and Political Economy, Georg August University, Gottingen, Germany 'There have been many books written on political parties and their impact on policy outcomes, but few have taken an approach that is as innovative as this one. Ed Turner's book is a timely contribution to the debate on when, and under what conditions, parties can impact on public policy. Turner's analysis of sub-national politics in Germany is insightful and empirically rich and his conclusions will be of interest to scholars not just of German politics, but to anyone who has ever asked themselves whether parties genuinely make a difference.' - Dan Hough, Reader in Politics, University of Sussex, UK Political Parties and Public Policy in the German Lander considers the extent to which, and in what circumstances, political parties affect public policy. Exploring the regional level in Germany; using case studies in the areas of education, childcare and family, and labour market policy. When Parties Matter looks at the extent to which political parties can make a difference to public policy, focusing on the regional level in Germany. Politicians of the left and the right sometimes have radically different views, but inevitably the combined forces of legal and financial constraints, bureaucracy, public expectations and the 'weight of history' restrict their ability to translate political disagreement into policy change. Giving a detailed examination of education policy, childcare and family policy, and labour market policy in three German regions between 1999 and 2006, this book provides insights into what politicians can and cannot achieve, in particular at the level below the nation-state Cover 1 Political Parties and Public Policy in the German Länder 4 Contents 6 List of Tables 7 Acknowledgements 8 Preface 9 1 Introduction: Partisan Influence Upon Public Policy in Decentralised Polities 10 2 Do Parties Matter in the German Länder? Theoretical and Practical Challenges, Past Attempts at Exploration, and a New Approach 26 3 Contemporary German Federalism 48 4 Education, Family and Childcare,and Labour Market Policies at a Land Level 59 5 The Case of Hesse 1999–2003 85 6 The Saarland 1999–2004 134 7 Saxony-Anhalt 2002–2006 174 8 Conclusion 228 Appendix 1 Bibliography 239 Appendix 2 List of Interviews 262 Appendix 3 Commonly Used German Terms and Abbreviations 264 Index 266 Front Matter....Pages i-viii Introduction....Pages 1-16 Do Parties Matter in the German Länder? Theoretical and Practical Challenges, Past Attempts at Exploration, and a New Approach....Pages 17-38 Contemporary German Federalism....Pages 39-49 Education, Family and Childcare, and Labour Market Policies at a Land Level....Pages 50-75 The Case of Hesse 1999–2003....Pages 76-124 The Saarland 1999–2004....Pages 125-164 Saxony-Anhalt 2002–2006....Pages 165-218 Conclusion....Pages 219-229 Back Matter....Pages 230-263