German State Research Articles

Real-world therapy and persistence of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy or diabetic macular edema: a German claims data analysis.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibition is the current and high-volume standard-of-care for patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) with diabetic macular edema (DME). This study assessed the impact of non-persistence in anti-VEGF treatment using claims data from two German states. This study identified adults with nAMD or DR/DME and incident anti-VEGF treatment (= index) in January 2015-June 2019 using the German AOK PLUS claims database (January 2014-June 2021, ~ 3.5 million insured). Baseline characteristics were observed within 12months before index. Patient follow-up lasted ≥ 24months or until death. Non-persistence (gap of ≥ 180days) was calculated using Kaplan-Meier estimation. Cox regression identified variables linked to non- persistence. The study analysed reimbursed anti-VEGF treatments, thus excluding off-label use of bevacizumab. 5,498 patients diagnosed with nAMD (mean age, 80.09years; male, 37.50%; mean Charlson Comorbidity Index [CCI] score, 3.07) and 484 patients with DR/DME (mean age, 67.14; male, 58.88%; mean CCI score, 4.54) were identified. Non-persistence to anti-VEGF treatment within 12months after index occurred in 51.38% of nAMD patients and 62.60% of DR/DME patients, with mean times to first gap of 11.28 and 8.98months, respectively. Cox regression revealed factors associated with non-persistence, including higher age, female gender, higher care needs, longer AMD history, and the use of ranibizumab. Epidemiologic and ophthalmologic factors associated with anti-VEGF non-persistence were successfully identified in the first year of therapy. The analyzed dataset can potentially be enriched with additional health insurance database sets under the used criteria to gain more understanding of anti-VEGF non-persistence.

Germany then and now: Guilt, white supremacy and sustaining genocide, from the far-right to the radical left

Germany's criminalisation of Palestine-solidarity intensified further after the7 October 2023 attack. Given Germany's historical responsibility for the Holocaust and its commitment to reconcile this history, many attribute Germany's relation to Israel to that of historical guilt. Considering the event cancellations of academics, artists and activists in Germany who criticise Israel's settler colonialism of Palestine, which includes increasing institutional and extra-legal violence against Palestine-solidarity protesters, such explanations are far too simplistic. This Contentions article shows how the conflating of Zionism and Israeli settler colonialism with antisemistism are the vehicles through which Germany strengthens its anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, and nationalist white supremacist agenda. Highlighting the internationally lesser-known phenomenon of the autonomous left that celebrates the state of Israel, namely Anti-Deutsche (Anti-German), the article aims to unpack some nuances concerning the acceptance of censorship, reproduction of fascism and support for the Palestinian-genocide that are advanced by the German state and its followers across the ‘Left’ and ‘Right’ political spectrum.

Who bears the burden of real estate transfer taxes? Evidence from the German housing market

This paper examines the effects of real estate transfer taxes (RETT) on property prices using a rich micro dataset of roughly 17 million German properties for the period from 2005 to 2019. Our empirical analysis exploits variation in RETT rate hikes across German states and over time. Our monthly event study estimates indicate a price response that strongly exceeds the change in the tax burden for single transactions. Twelve months after a reform, a one percentage point increase in the tax rate reduces property prices by on average 3%. Price effects are larger for apartments (−4%) than for single-family houses (−2%). Exploring potential mechanisms, we provide evidence that different holding periods are the main driver of the differential price effect between property types.

Brief communication: From modelling to reality – flood modelling gaps highlighted by a recent severe storm surge event along the German Baltic Sea coast

Abstract. In October 2023, the Baltic Sea coasts of Germany and Denmark experienced a severe storm surge, predominantly impacting the German state of Schleswig-Holstein and parts of southern Denmark. The surge led to extensive flooding in cities like Flensburg and Schleswig, causing the breaching of at least six (regional) dikes and causing over EUR 200 million in damages in Schleswig-Holstein. By chance, the peak water levels of this storm surge aligned well with those of recent hydrodynamic flood modelling studies of the region. This rare coincidence offers crucial insights for our understanding of flooding impacts, flood management, and modelling. By comparing those studies to the real-world example using extensive media reports, we aim to extract key insights and identify gaps to be tackled in order to improve flood risk modelling in the Baltic Sea region and beyond.

Policing Europe: The Origins of a European Security Network, 1794–1815

Abstract The spread of revolutionary ideas reconfigured the machinery of surveillance within the Habsburg state between the Jacobin Trials of 1794 and the Congress of Vienna in 1815. The Habsburg Ministry of Police emerged from the Jacobin Trials with enlarged administrative capabilities, including a new relationship between the secret state police and the military and the increased surveillance of urban working populations. Not only that, but the period also witnessed a push to monitor subversive political activity in foreign territory, including Poland, the Ottoman Empire, the German states and Italy. This article argues that cooperation among European states in the policing of subversive political activity across borders antedated the Congress of Vienna. A focus on these critical decades questions the viability of the ‘Metternichian System’ and points instead to a growing security apparatus that Metternich sought to further internationalize after 1815.

Self-reported Health Problems of Professional Dancers from Five German Opera Houses or State Theatres: A Prospective Study with Weekly Follow-ups during One Season

BackgroundMost studies on injuries of professional dancers used a medical-attention and/or time-loss definition and did not analyse all health problems. Further, almost all studies included just one company. The aim was to analyse all self-reported health problems of professional ballet and contemporary dancers during one season and compare sexes and five companies in Germany.MethodsDancers of five professional companies completed weekly health questionnaires during the season (September 2022 to June 2023). Numerical rating scales were used for severity of all health problems, musculoskeletal pain, impairment of the ability to dance at full potential, physical and mental workload in the previous seven days. If the severity of all health problems were rated greater than “0”, the dancers were asked to report the type and consequences of their most severe health problem.ResultsDuring 43 weeks, 98 dancers (39.8% male) completed 3123 weekly reports (response rate 74.1%). The season prevalence of any health problem was 100% and of time-loss health problems 74.5%. The average weekly prevalence of any health problem was 62.7%, of musculoskeletal pain 83.4% and of impaired ability to dance at full potential, due to health problem 48.6%. While the season prevalence and type of health problems was similar between sexes, the average weekly prevalence of severe health problems was higher in female than in male dancers (Chi2 = 23.2; p < .001), and female dancers saw a qualified health professional more often than male dancers (Chi2 = 19.5; p < .001). Companies differed in almost all investigated variables, with more health problems in companies where more dancers rated their workload higher than “ideal”.ConclusionHealth problems are frequent in professional dancers and affect their ability to dance. Future studies should analyse the impact of physical and mental workload on health problems.

Capturing the effects of flower strips on natural pest control in agronomic land use models

ContextGiven policy objectives for pesticide reduction, functional biodiversity is increasingly important for agricultural production. However, economic land use optimisation models rarely account for the interplay between agricultural production and functional biodiversity, like natural pest control (NPC). ObjectiveWe present and discuss an approach to consider feedback effects between NPC and agricultural production in a geodata-based farm economic land use model. MethodsThe geodata-based land use model PALUD was extended to incorporate interactions between NPC and crop yields. This included linking a generic NPC model, based on semi-natural habitats, with an econometric approach to estimate yield gaps as a function of NPC potential. As a case study, the model was then applied to the German state Brandenburg, using permanent flower strips as example to promote NPC. Here, we analysed the impacts of enhancing NPC potential on food production and gross margins from arable land use. Results and conclusionsOur analysis revealed that a higher level of NPC through flower strips improved gross margins. by up to 6.4 % and crop production by up to 1.2 % within a pesticide-free environment in Brandenburg. Despite inherent limitations and uncertainties of the approach, our study provides a pivotal advancement in integrating NPC into economic land use models. Future refinements incorporating more detailed knowledge on context-specific interactions between crops, pests and predators will improve model robustness. Our approach and case study results provide valuable insights for policy-making on tailored sustainable landscape development and serve as a foundation for future modelling efforts. SignificanceTo our knowledge the interaction between NPC and crop yields has not yet been integrated into any geospatially based economic land use model before. Incorparating these interactions is vital for guiding policies towards sustainable agricultural systems. In this respect it is important to develop and discuss further methodological approaches.

Assessing Potential Spawning and Nursery Habitat Availability in the River Rhine for the Critically Endangered European Sturgeon

ABSTRACTInformation about reproductive habitat and migration pathways is of paramount importance to restore migratory fish species. This study assesses the availability of spawning and nursery habitats for the European sturgeon (Acipenser sturio) in the delta and lower Rhine (covering over 350 river kilometres) as part of a larger feasibility assessment for a future restoration of this critically endangered species. The general approach has three steps: (1) the identification of the species' specific habitat requirements, based on a systematic literature review; (2) the collection and preprocessing of data from two countries, including the 1D and 2D modelling of water depths and flow velocities; and (3) GIS‐based mapping of spawning and nursery habitat. Based on a HSI score of 1, we identify a total of 0.75 km2 as minimal spawning habitat, potentially suitable for approximately 2500 female European sturgeons (one spawning site would use ~300 m2). This is sufficient, as currently, only an estimated maximum number of 750 adults exist. Suitable spawning habitat is mainly located in the German state of North Rhine‐Westphalia, whereas suitable nursery habitat is mainly located in the Netherlands. The availability is, however, significantly reduced by coastal infrastructure (damming) and inland navigation. The insights gained can be used to assess the current suitability of the river Rhine for the species' reintroduction and to identify opportunities for habitat restoration and protection for various life stages. The outcomes thus play an essential role in the conservation of the species. In addition, the modelling approach developed could be applied to other northwestern European rivers. This broader application would allow intercomparison and support decisions about which rivers are best suited for future reintroduction of the critically endangered European sturgeon.

Effectiveness of a check-up for rehabilitation and prevention needs in primary care

Abstract Background General practitioners play a central role in initiating rehabilitation and prevention services. However, systematic screening for rehabilitation and prevention needs has not been carried out in general practices so far. The legislation encourages the implementation and evaluation of so-called ‘check-up 45+’, which target individuals aged 45 and older. The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a check-up 45+ in primary care. Methods A pragmatic, randomized controlled trial was conducted in 26 general practices in the German states of Berlin and Brandenburg among patients aged 45 to 59 years (DRKS00028303). The control group (n = 695) received usual care plus a questionnaire on sociodemographic and health-related characteristics. The intervention group (n = 706) completed additionally the 2-page ‘screening 45+’, which captures rehabilitation and prevention needs in five dimensions. After algorithm-based ad hoc evaluation by practice staff, the general practice could modify the recommendation based on available information (e.g., diagnoses, social situation). Information and application documents were provided in case of identified needs. Applications (primary outcome) and approvals (secondary outcome) of rehabilitation and prevention services were recorded using routine data. Results In the intervention group, 64.2% were women, compared to 63.0% in the control group (mean age 52.1 (SD 4.3) and 52.5 (SD 4.4) years). In the intervention group, 85 applications (12.0%) for medical rehabilitation or prevention services were submitted within two months after the study participation, compared to 20 applications (2.9%) in the control group (p &amp;lt; 0.001). The number of approvals for these services was 59 vs. 17 (p &amp;lt; 0.001). Conclusions The application rate for rehabilitation and prevention services was significantly higher in the intervention group compared to the control group, with a relative risk difference by a factor of 4 and an absolute risk difference of 9.1%pt. Key messages • The implementation of a check-up 45+ in primary care leads to a higher rate of applications for rehabilitation and prevention services compared to usual care. • The check-up 45+ may assist general practitioners in systematically identifying rehabilitation and prevention needs of their patients and in applying for these services.

Transregional Cooperation of German Federal States with Eastern Regions and Countries (Late 20th — 21st Century)

This study examines the formation and development of transregional relations between the federal states of Germany (Bundesländer) and Eastern countries and regions. It presents the findings of a normative-legal analysis of the foundations of international and foreign policy activities of German federal states, based on national legislation. The focus is on the institutional framework for cross-border interactions between individual administrative units of the Federal Republic of Germany and their foreign partners. The research explores partnerships with both neighboring Middle Eastern territories and more distant Eastern regions. The findings indicate that the international and foreign economic activities of the German states are extensive, aligning with the opportunities outlined in Germany’s constitutional documents, and are significantly broader and more diverse compared to similar activities in the regions of France and Italy. It has been identified that German states engage in a system of “horizontal partnerships” primarily with provinces of the People’s Republic of China. Additionally, it is reported that a principle of “network cooperation” is applied to most other Eastern countries, encompassing not only economic but also scientific, cultural, and humanitarian ties. The study demonstrates that among the examined EU countries at the regional level, German federal states lead in establishing the most successful and effective partnerships with regions in Eastern countries.

Arrest Matters: The Pragmatics of Vulnerability in Phone Calls to the Stasi

Using Conversation Analysis (CA), this article focuses on the ways in which participants invoke vulnerability in phone calls to the former East German State Security Service, better known as the Stasi. The calls were made in the late 1970s and the 1980s and pertained in one way or the other to political arrests. The main aim is to understand the linkage between vulnerability as an attribute of an institutional setting and vulnerability as the mutual achievement of a social interaction with an organization. The data represent different ways of addressing experiences of vulnerabilisation and different complications, each with a specific interactional character (failed request for help, self-protection or expression of indignation about one’s own treatment). Starting with an ambiguous case and focusing on how participants work to describe experiences of arrest in other cases documented and available in the Stasi tape archive, the article describes the sequential unfolding of vulnerability in different formats, depending on how the recipient designs them and the communicative tasks that participants tackle in their interactions.

From investment to impact: The role of green finance and technological innovation on German energy transition

Germany is a global leader in environmental protection and has embraced a fast-track transition towards renewable energy adaptation. To support the continuous energy transition, an approximate sum of EUR 3000 billion needs to be mobilized by 2050, making it an exemplary case for examining the influence of green finance on renewable energy consumption and technological innovation. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of green finance and technological innovation on renewable energy consumption across 16 federal German states, utilizing panel data from 2008 to 2021. Two novel financial proxies, green investment and environmental protection-related sales, are introduced to capture the financial mechanisms underpinning the energy transition. MMQ (method of moments quantile) regression is employed to explore the short and long-run relationship among variables. The results reveal that while environmental protection-related sales consistently increase renewable energy consumption, the positive effects of green investment manifest only in the long term. Furthermore, the results indicate that solely increasing R&D funds does not necessarily boost renewable energy consumption. However, the positive interplay between R&D and patent applications significantly increases electricity generation from renewable sources. Indicating that integrated financial and technological strategies are essential for advancing Germany's renewable energy goals.

Украина в германских планах передела Европы в годы Первой мировой войны (1914–1916 гг.)

The paper studies the Ukrainian issue in the context of the policy of the German Empire during the First World War (1914-1916). The author considers the Ukrainian issue in Germany’s plans to reorganize Europe; German state structures and their ways of interaction with national movements. The study demonstrates the change in Germany’s policy towards the Ukrainian movement in the context of the events of the First World War: from supporting plans to organize an uprising in Russia and create a Ukrainian state to curtailing official cooperation and switching to supporting the main competitor of the Ukrainian movement in the struggle for statehood – the Poles.

Types of legal entities under public law in German doctrine and legislation

This article examines the concepts and types of legal entities under public law in German doctrine and legislation. The legal status of public legal entities is regulated by the provisions of the German Constitution, the German Civil Code, the Law on Administrative Procedures, the Law «On the Procedure for Consideration of Cases Under the Management of Administrative Bodies», the Law «On Administrative Courts». The author examines the issue of determining the criteria for the classification of legal entities, so legal entities under public law are created in an executive order, act to satisfy the public or public interest, have authority, operate in organizational and legal forms of an open type, are responsible for the activities of their officials, legal the regime of property has certain features, in particular, such property can be transferred for use by legal entities under public law. As a rule, legal entities under public law have a special scope of legal capacity, unlike legal entities under private law, in this regard, the article analyzes the doctrine of ultra vires. The author examines the procedure for creating legal entities under public law in Germany, the types of organizational and legal forms of legal entities under public law that carry out their activities in the form of a public corporation, public institution, public fund. The article considers the sources of property formation of legal entities under public law, in particular, it can be income from entrepreneurial activity, budget funds, contributions of members of public corporations, donations (for example, the German State Bank, the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Fund). The article considers four types of public corporations: territorial, united, personal, real. A feature of the activity of public corporations in Germany is the presence of membership, unlike public institutions.

Who Gets Vaccinated? Cognitive and Non‐Cognitive Predictors of Individual Behaviour in Pandemics

AbstractThis study investigates different cognitive and non‐cognitive characteristics associated with individuals' willingness to get vaccinated against Covid‐19 and their actual vaccination status. Our empirical analysis is based on data obtained from three survey waves conducted in 2021 among about 2,000 individuals living in the German state of North Rhine‐Westphalia. We find that individuals with a high level of trait reactance – a personality characteristic that entails the personal tendency to perceive persuasion attempts as restricting one's freedom – display a significantly lower willingness to get vaccinated. They also tend to get inoculated later or never. Moreover, neuroticism, locus of control, and statistical numeracy appear to be associated with the willingness to get vaccinated, but these results are less pronounced and less robust. Our results indicate that vaccination campaigns and policies could be improved by specifically addressing those with a high level of trait reactance.

Divided Care: Differences in the Agencies of Family Caregivers for Disabled Children in East and West Germany

Parents and their disabled children in both German states faced discrimination and severe challenges in the organisation of family life. In the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), from the 1960s onwards, parents achieved more far-reaching influence over the schooling and overall treatment of their children. The reasons for and avenues of parental empowerment were different on both sides of the border. In West Germany, collective action within a civil society framework was the major factor behind parental empowerment. In the GDR, parental protest tended to be more individualist and was often voiced via the petitioning system ( Eingaben) .

The First German in Space: Sigmund Jähn and East Germany

abstract: In August 1978, Sigmund Jähn became East Germany's first—and only—cosmonaut when he flew aboard the Soviet Union's Soyuz 31 mission. After the initial celebrations, the SED and East German state media quickly turned to attributing meaning to the person and the mission. They defined Jähn and his spaceflight in terms of the allegiance with the Soviet Union, growing GDR accomplishments at home, and the continuing competition with the FRG. The Jähn mission—one of the standout events in GDR history—shows the SED's varied modes of self-presentation in the late 1970s and popular responses to them.

Multinational and Multimodal Character Framing of Political Candidates in Online News: Do Political and Media System Classifications Matter?

An evolving body of research generally referred to as visual politics has brought the heavy research focus on linguistic modalities of political communication closer to parity with visual emphasis. The study reported here transcends this schism by joining momentum toward multimodality as an ontological departure point for research. We expanded an existing visual instrument into a multimodal one and provided evidence that it reliably captures character framing of political candidates (stateliness, compassion, mass appeal, ordinariness, and sure loser) in German, Polish, and United States commercial online news. We focused on election coverage in these countries because they represent three distinct political and media systems (democratic-corporatist, polarized-pluralist, and hybrid) of the Global North. The quantitative content analysis sample we used spans 2,688 online news stories with seven political candidates identified in 6,560 cases across six modalities (still images, moving images, frozen video images, text, audio, and superimposed text). We found support for the hypothesis that political and media system latencies affect how news media frame the character traits of political candidates in both visual and linguistic modalities. Specifically, the competitive tendencies of majoritarian democracies manifested more clearly as candidate-centered, simplistic, and polarizing character framing in US media content than in journalistic output of multiparty consensus democracies. For example, US news media were more consistent in their portrayal of election winners and losers than German and Polish news media, emphasizing stateliness, compassion, and ordinariness in the winner while unambiguously assigning the negative sure loser frame to the election loser.

The Differentiated Impact of Perceived EU Regional Policy on Citizens’ Positions on European Integration

AbstractThe main goal of the regional development programme of the European Union (EU) is to decrease disparities in the economic situation between the regional units of the EU member states. An important side note effect of EU regional policy is that citizens should be able to directly identify the positive aspects of European integration when realising the impact of the EU for structural programmes in their city or region. We aim to evaluate this mechanism and ask whether the individually perceived benefit of EU regional funds in the home area of a respondent has a positive impact on their position towards European integration. Furthermore, we discuss how a relational perspective on EU regional funds—that is, whether a respondent considers other regions or other EU member states to benefit more from the EU regional funds than their own region—mediates the expected positive impact of EU regional funds on an individual’s position on European integration. We answer these questions by analysing new survey data conducted in two German states, Baden-Wuerttemberg and Thuringia, which differ significantly in terms of the regional funding they receive. The analysis shows not only that there is a significant difference in the positions of respondents on European integration between the two regions but also that perceiving personal benefits of EU regional funding increases the support for European integration. Furthermore, individuals’ thinking that their own region benefits more from EU regional funding than other regions tends to increase their support for European integration.

Some Factors Influencing Legal Continuity in the Age of Enlightenment

In this article, certain factors that influenced legal continuity during the Age of Enlightenment are discussed. The major processes of the period are analyzed, and the importance of legal traditions as the foundation of legal continuity is highlighted. A brief overview of the key approaches to understanding legal traditions is given. Particular attention is paid to the regional divergences of the Age of Enlightenment, with a focus on its specifics in England and later Great Britain, the German and Italian states, France, Russia, and the USA. It was revealed that all factors can be divided into two groups. The first group includes general conditions, circumstances, and prerequisites, which can be further classified into natural and social ones. Natural factors are largely unaffected by the landscape of the period, while social factors are closely tied to society. The factors pertaining to the Age of Enlightenment are part of the latter group. They are of two types. The first type is not actually related to the legal reality of the period. The second type reflects the Enlightenment political and legal doctrines. Conclusions are drawn about the direct and indirect impacts of these factors on the historical processes. It is also demonstrated that the factors of legal continuity formed a unique combination in each studied society, with their influence apparent even after the Age of Enlightenment.