German Policy Research Articles

“Germany and the Balkan Feud”: The Russian Press Assessment of German Policy During the Two Balkan Wars of 1912–1913

“Germany and the Balkan Feud”: The Russian Press Assessment of German Policy During the Two Balkan Wars of 1912–1913

Digitalization, AI, and robotics for good care and work? German policy imaginaries of healthcare technologies

Abstract Healthcare is being discussed as an increasingly important application domain for new digital, artificial intelligence–enabled, and robotic technologies. This area has garnered interest from policymakers who seek to harness technological advancements in their quest for providing adequate healthcare to aging populations and modernizing healthcare jobs. In this article, we analyze the sociotechnical imaginary of healthcare technology constructed in German public policy. We analyze 22 pertinent German policy documents from the years 2018–22, drawing on a conceptual frame of sociotechnical imaginaries and dramaturgical studies of futuring. Our analysis shows how healthcare is imagined as a sector in crisis, how technology is promoted as a solution, and how anticipated resistances to technological solutions are being met with the narratives of “technological assistance,” the provision of “good care,” and the facilitation of “good work” within the healthcare sector.

Germany as a Nuclear Power?: How Nuclear Taboo Shaped the Discourse on West German Nuclearization

A disinformation campaign by the Adenauer administration in the 1950s has led the public to believe that West Germany has never had any intentions on gaining nuclear capabilities. This interpretation is not accurate, as modern research shows and opens a new area of research to be explored. Modern literature on the topic however has mostly been dealing with the problem of German nuclearization from an historical background. While there has been some research on the topic from an international relations perspective, such research has been conducted mostly from a realist perspective. Although the realist perspective has some merits, it is lacking in explanatory power when it comes to the words and behavior of German policy makers and politicians. Constructivist theory of the ‘nuclear taboo’ offers a good supplementary explanation for inner political dynamics during the 1950s and early 1960s. This research examines debates in the Bundestag related to the nuclearization of West Germany during those periods and takes a closer look at what and how congresspeople discussed West Germany going nuclear. It proves that nuclear taboo embraced by the congresspeople discouraged West Germany’s nuclearization.

‘Lab Rats for Science’: Uranium Mining, Expellees, Public Health, and Narratives of Radiation Danger in Cold War West Germany, 1955–1968

In 1955–6, three thousand German-speaking men were ‘repatriated’ from Czechoslovak forced labour camps, where they mined uranium, to West Germany, where they demanded benefits for health damage from radiation exposure. These men connected their group's experiences to the fears and developments of early Cold War West Germany, personifying the health risks of the Atomic Age and citizens’ demands that their states offer protection from such risks. These men contributed to public awareness of radiation health risk and to ambivalence about safe ‘peaceful nuclear technology’ in the late 1950s and 1960s, earlier than is usually assumed. They further inspired concrete policy changes, especially in occupational health protection, illustrating that post-war responses to nuclear technology emerged from the intersection of longer historical experience, specialised local knowledge and grassroots activism, as well as from post-war scientific and political developments. It further shows long-lasting expellee influence in unexpected areas of West German policy.

The Iraq War as a War over the Meaning of Europe

The Iraq War of 2003–11 has been described as a conflict over the meaning of Europe and between the conflicting goals of cementing the transatlantic relationship with the United States and advancing a more independent, "Carolingian" vision of the continent on the world stage. This article employs the analytical lens of foreign policy role conceptions, drawing from French and German policy literature, newly available archival evidence, and interviews with more than 20 diplomats, politicians, and civil servants active during the 2003 invasion. We argue that the war itself and the agency of Iraqis played a limited role in European powers' jockeying for position, which was instead determined by these countries' relationships with the US and the role of the United Nations. This was the case even for France and Germany, which had extensive interest in Iraq in the decades preceding the invasion. If the Iraq War was one over the meaning of Europe, the debate around and the execution of the invasion highlighted the continued importance of a US-led NATO for defining such meaning.

Rethinking Indonesia’s Geothermal Foreign Direct Investment Policy: Certainty and Economic Analysis of Law Perspective

This study aims to anylize Indonesian government policy regarding the 100% ownership over geothermal sector projects by foreign direct investors, based on the certainty and effectivity using economic analysis of law perspective. This study is formulated as legal research, using statutory approach, conceptual approach, and comparative approach, as research method. The results of this Based on these explanations, it can be concluded that in terms of certainty, renewable energy investment policies in Indonesia, which frequently change, ultimately reduce the value of that certainty. This is different from Germany which tends to be more stable because it has a renewable energy policy that does not change too often, for example this can be seen in German policy regarding providing incentives to foreign investors. Furthermore, regarding the effectiveness of the policy of 100% ownership by foreign investors for geothermal development projects, based on EaL and game theory, this policy can be said to be effective. However, improvements are needed so that the policy does not conflict with SoNR principles. This improvement, for example, is by using the BOOT scheme used by the Philippines in relation to the geothermal development sector, not only can it be 100% owned by foreign investors without a certain period of time.

“Let the State Decide It All for Me”: The Role of Migration and Integration Policy in the Decision-Making of Ukrainian Refugee Women in Germany

While German migration policies aim to provide temporary protection and integrate Ukrainian refugees into German society as early as possible, the procedures and ideas of integration might be perceived differently by the beneficiaries. The feeling of “permanent temporariness” has been persistent among Ukrainians since March 2022. In this situation, some of the refugees renounce their agency and put responsibility on decision-making onto the state, while others oppose the idea of “being integrated” since they see their time in Germany as temporary, and their future in Ukraine as soon as the security situation allows them to return.Drawing on the experiences of single Ukrainian women who received protection in Germany, the paper presents an anthropological perspective on person–state interactions in the context of refugees’ future-planning. How do German policies for supporting Ukrainian refugees impact their “stay or return” decision-making? Do the policies address their needs now and allow them to make investments for the future, or, on the contrary, contribute to their decision to return to Ukraine, which appears to be “simpler” and “more predictable”? How does the experience of going through bureaucratic procedures contribute to the sense of having agency and being capable of shaping their today and tomorrow? To answer these questions, I am going to present the reasonings and emotions concerning bureaucratic procedures that are closely intertwined with the planning of their future by Ukrainian refugees in Germany.

How national models of solidarity shaped public support for policy responses to the COVID-19 crisis in 2020–2021

How do national models of solidarity shape public support for distinctive policy responses to social and economic crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic? We analyze American and German policy responses from March 2020 to June 2021 across a number of economic and social policy domains and identify path-dependent institutional contingencies in both countries despite the same crisis experience. Drawing from 10 different sources of public opinion data, we then triangulate the pandemic's effects on public support for individualized and collectively oriented policy responses. Aside from emotional rally-to-the-flag effects, the policy-specific public reactions are consistent with institutional and normative predicates of the two political economies: the German public seems to be supportive of aggressive policies to combat inequality, though in ways that privilege established social collectivities and groups, whereas in the U.S., we only see moderate evidence of support for time-limited and individually-focused measures designed to remain in place only for the duration of the crisis.

Роль общественных организаций, занимающихся защитой прав проституированных женщин в ФРГ, в политизации проблем сексуальной эксплуатации и насилия

Since the 1980s, the issue of prostitution in Germany developed from the level of measures to combat AIDS to the state (law on prostitution) and international policy level: within the EU it gradually gets the status of a “cause and consequence of gender inequality”, is included in the political agenda of achieving gender equality and, therefore, tackling the issue also shapes the image of the EU on the international arena. There, in Germany as a country considered as the economic locomotive of the EU, alongside the laws, which are unique for Europe nowadays, there is a pool of international NGOs seeking to influence German policy on this issue. This article provides a brief overview of public organizations in Germany that deal with the problems of prostitution at the political and social levels.

Money for nothing? Evidence on the effects of start-up subsidies on transitions from unemployment to self-employment

Start-up subsidies (SUS) aim to foster the transition of unemployed individuals into self-employment by securing their livelihood during the first months after their start-up. While the existing evidence on the effects of SUS on subsidy recipients’ labor market success and business performance is rather positive, much less is known about the degree to which SUS can actually induce additional entrepreneurial activity out of unemployment. Critics suspect that SUS are rather ineffective in increasing transitions from unemployment into self-employment, essentially handing out money for nothing. Exploiting large regional variation caused by a German policy reform at the end of 2011, this paper investigates the role of SUS for transitions from unemployment to self-employment using a difference-in-differences strategy. Results show that the reform led to large negative effects on regional transitions into subsidized as well as overall self-employment. Results imply a prominent role of public policy in shaping start-up activity from unemployment.

Nazi Officials and Architects facing the Wilhelmine Past. Poznań and Strasbourg under German Occupation

This article discusses the Germanization of Poznan and Strasbourg’s urban space during the Second World War and their deep-rooted traditions in German culture. It focuses on the German concepts of “Volk” and “Volksgemeinschaft” formulated in the 19th century, which were adopted and expanded by the nazis. It demonstrates how architecture and urban planning were used as a powerful tool for Germanization and the materialization of the concept of Volksgemeinschaft through examples of realized and unrealized buildings in both cities. In this context, it is important to note that the seemingly disparate epochs of German rule in the 19th century and of the Third Reich must be viewed in context. Although the Germanization policy was much milder in Strasbourg than in Poznan, comparing the two cities is crucial for broadening our understanding of the different German occupation systems during the Second World War.

German Strategic Policy after the Cold War (1991-2017)

German Strategic Policy (1991-2017) changed because of several factors, which included the assertive behaviour of Russia, incoming refugees, the threat of terrorism, Brexit, the waning interests of the United States in Europe, and escalating climate change problems. The German Strategic Policy that spanned over two decades focused on developing and modernizing military hardware. This requirement in fact can be observed by analysing the recent shifts in German policies and politics at large. These shifts are largely based on the German strong economy based on free trade and policies of economic development. Many scholars argue a facet of economic strength is reflected in military power. This paper analyses German defence policy change and discusses factors that led to changes in German strategic position in the EU as a strong military power.

Polityka gospodarcza Polski na tle państw Europy Środkowej w dwudziestoleciu międzywojennym

In the interwar period which started in 1918 after the Great War, the dominant politics was that of the economic liberalism which, along with the changes taking place on the political scene, shifted towards interventionism or economic nationalism. This path was also taken by three countries of Central Europe, i.e. Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary. However, each one of them implemented its own economic policy, initially largely dependent on the heritage of the previous era. After the post-war economy (war economy in Poland), the time has come for the economic prosperity, and afterwards, the Great Depression which reevaluated politicians’ thinking about the economy. At the beginning of the 1930s, the Central European countries started to move away from the liberal concepts in favour of interventionism and statism. Each of them tried to implement this ‘common’ concept in its own way. None of the countries achieved their intended goals. The fall of Czechoslovakia and Poland in 1939 and Hungary’s dependence on Germany was by no means the result of adopting the erroneous economic policy by any of the countries of Central Europe. It was a consequence of the German policy of Drang nach Osten, which they could not oppose together (for political reasons), much less on their own. The aim of the article is to present mechanisms of the economic policy of the Second Republic of Poland in comparison to countries of Central Europe, which is understood, to follow Piotr Wandycz, as a tight territorial, cultural, economic region including the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Czechoslovakia, and the Kingdom of Hungary. The discussion also addresses modernization.

Covering digital health applications in the public insurance system: how to foster innovation in patient care while mitigating financial risks-evidence from Germany.

Digital health applications that support patients in managing their condition can have a positive impact on patients' health and improve the overall care process. In late 2019, as the first country worldwide, Germany included digital health applications in the benefit basket of the statutory health insurance (SHI) system to enable fast, broad-scale patient access and encourage innovation in the digital health industry. While the policy is widely recognized as a pioneering step toward improving patient care through digital technologies, there are concerns regarding the mechanics of the policy and the resulting financial risks for the SHI system. The primary objective of this article is to provide a comprehensive and balanced overview of the German policy by evaluating its success in achieving its goals and by reviewing challenges that have emerged. The secondary objective is to delineate prospective policy options and areas warranting future research. The article analyzes publicly available data of the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices collected between February 1st and July 17th, 2023, and complements it with empirical findings published by academic institutions and sickness funds. It discusses policy options and related areas of future research to overcome the identified challenges without jeopardizing the purpose of the legislation to encourage innovation in the digital health industry to improve patient care. In line with the goals of the reimbursement policy, the inclusion of digital health applications in the SHI benefit basked has entailed new digital treatment options for patients across multiple disease areas. However, from a health policy perspective, the policy has several shortcomings, including low prescription rates, the temporary reimbursement of digital health applications that lack proven benefit, and a pricing framework that does not take into account the efficacy and efficiency of a treatment and may lead to a suboptimal allocation of public resources. Rather than the public system covering digital health applications without proven benefit, the authors suggest giving SHI organizations more budget authority to directly incentivize research and development activities and to introduce value-based pricing. More research is needed to determine the details of these mechanisms.

Special Courts (Sondergerichte) in the General Government (1939–1945)

Summary This article presents the legal bases of operation and organisation of the special judiciary in the General Government for the occupied Polish territories. Special courts were subject to the policy pursued by the German authorities in the General Government. The German legislation in the gg delegated to the jurisdiction of special courts chiefly such criminal matters that involved safeguarding German interests in the occupied country. Adjudication in such cases boiled down to applying normative acts related to combatting serious (severe) crime or expressly pursued the German policy in the gg, including the exterminatory anti-Jewish legislation. The special courts created by the German occupier in the General Government were not judicial authorities in the traditional sense. The literature on the topic is not particularly extensive. The article would be the first comprehensive study of this subject written in English.

Eco‐innovation and environmental sustainability in Germany: An empirical approach with smooth structural shifts

AbstractGermany has set an ambitious goal of meeting the recommendations of COP‐26 and reducing its carbon intensity to zero by 2045. Germany is a leader in environmental patents after the United States, Japan, and South Korea, and the environmental implications of Germany's leadership in eco‐innovation hold important clues for achieving net zero goals. In particular, the European Union is one of the global communities making the greatest efforts to combat emissions, and the success of the leading role of environmental patents in this Union in reducing CO2 emissions is an important research topic for scholars. Therefore, this study investigates the impact of environmental patents on CO2 emissions under the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis in Germany. To this end, the study applies Bayer–Hanck and Fourier ADL approaches from 1970 to 2019. The main findings do not confirm the EKC hypothesis, while environmental patents play an active role in CO2 reduction. Based on these outcomes, Germany should consider a long‐term green policy to decouple economic growth and emissions. At the same time, German policy should promote the development and application of environmental patents to achieve the net zero targets for 2045.

Primary Health Care and Foreign Aid: A Tale of Two Germanys.

The Declaration of Alma-Ata remains one of the momentous documents of public health. Its origins lie both in postwar efforts to improve population health in low-income countries and in social medicine promoted decades earlier in Europe. For industrialized countries in East and West, Alma-Ata, therefore, should have provided health-related guidelines both for domestic and foreign policy, though political interpretations of the social components of medicine and health differed. Due to its unique history of ideologically informed division after 1945, Germany forms a fascinating case study. Important German contributions to the early social medicine discourse fed into ideas of primary health care, the basis of the Alma-Ata process. However, the concept found little resonance in domestic policies. After World War II, the two Germanys chose different paths for health systems but were similarly reluctant to address the social dimension of health in their cooperation with Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In the 1970s, new international health concepts and civil society discussions about "development aid" caused changes in West German policies. No such discussions took place in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), where Alma-Ata was interpreted as a confirmation of the domestic health system. Thus, ironically, West German health workers pursued a keener policy of principles of social medicine in their partner countries than the GDR government, which considered its role in the global transformation of health care mainly fulfilled by serving as a model.

A Qualitative Investigation of Staff Feedback on an Online Learning Module on Smoking Cessation in a German Healthcare Company.

Quitting smoking is a powerful way for patients to improve their own wellbeing and to significantly reduce the risk of health problems. Evidence shows that health professionals can effectively intervene in order to prevent and stop tobacco smoking in their patients. Online learning modules have proved to be effective in terms of transferring knowledge and skills. In an urban community hospital setting in Germany, a novel e-learning course for staff on the treatment of tobacco dependence was implemented in 2021. In this study, we analyzed free-text feedback of participants completing this online module in order to examine the feasibility and acceptance of this new format. We were able to reach a reasonable proportion of staff. Our qualitative analysis showed that most feedback was positive and described the module as well-designed and helpful. Some staff, however, expressed extremely negative views and did not see smoking cessation support as essential to their role in healthcare. We argue that in order to achieve a shift in attitude in healthcare staff, a change in German policy is required which includes the creation of smoke-free environments and the adherence to smoke-free policies on hospital sites. Furthermore, the provision of smoking cessation support in line with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and a true understanding of the role of all healthcare professionals in promoting health of patients and staff will be essential.

Brest-Lithuania peace of 1918 and Ukrainian-German relations

This article analyzes the international relations of Ukraine during the national liberation struggle of 1917-1918. The prerequisites for the intensification of Ukrainian-German contacts at the end of the First World War are studied. The peculiarities of contacts between Germany and Ukrainian governments are analyzed, the significant influence of German policy in the context of the formation and development of Ukrainian state-building processes is indicated. The participation of the Ukrainian delegation at the Brest-Litovsk negotiations and the conclusion of a peace treaty with the Central Powers are characterized. The methodology is based on the principle of historicism and scientificity. The method of comparative analysis, retrospective, historical-typological, was used. Scientific novely. The article examines the economic and political components in the system of Ukrainian-German bilateral relations, which significantly influenced the structure of the foreign policy course of the official UNR and Germany, and also became the basis for the conclusion of international agreements. The active work of Ukrainian diplomacy and trade and economic missions abroad was studied, which was aimed at ensuring the development of the Ukrainian economy and the needs of the war for independencе. Conclusions. It has been proven that the signing of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty, which certified the international recognition of the state of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, can be called a significant result of the formation of interstate Ukrainian-German relations. It is shown that Ukrainian-German relations influenced further interstate military-political and diplomatic relations. The most important achievement of Ukraine at that time was the preservation of state independence, which made it possible to continue national liberation struggles in the future. In general, conducting such a study is appropriate not only in the context of the history of Germany and Ukraine, but also in the context of world history, since the evolution of Ukrainian-German relations during this period largely depended on the development of events in the international arena.

A Study of Post-Cold War German Policy Towards the Iranian Nuclear Issue

Germany has been an important participant in the resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue, and the evolution of the Iranian nuclear crisis has become a major event in the international community at the beginning of the 21st century. The U.S. pursued unilateralism and hegemony, advocating unilateral sanctions and coercive means to solve the problem, while the EU, led by Germany, adhered to multilateralism and advocated a peaceful solution through negotiations and other means. After Merkel came to power, she promptly adjusted her policy towards the U.S., made the U.S. accept the EU proposal, shaped Germany into a role that is bold to challenge and take responsibility in the face of crises, pushed the UN Security Council to reach multilateral sanctions and comprehensive EU sanctions against Iran, and finally reached the Iran nuclear deal. This journey fully demonstrates Germany’s pursuit of foreign policy autonomy in the post-Cold War era, balancing the two pillars of foreign policy towards Europe and the U.S. in pursuit of its own interests.