Local Level In Germany Research Articles

Local-level ownership of electricity grids: An analysis of Germany's distribution system operators (DSOs)

Electricity grids are crucial for the energy transition. Despite its importance for renewable energy, the literature on grid ownership at the local level in Germany lacks up-to-date knowledge. Existing research does not state the extent to which municipalities own distribution system operators (DSOs). Based on a novel dataset on grid operators in 10,800 German municipalities, this paper can provide for the first time an overview of the current ownership of electricity distribution companies. Although the electricity infrastructure is decentralised, ownership remains centralised in the hands of Germany's leading energy companies and concentrated in affluent population centres.

Studying politics at the local level in Germany: a tale of missing data

What are the strategies of political parties in multi-level government systems and how do voters respond to these strategies? At the national and state level, many researchers have worked with data from party manifestos, candidate lists, party press releases, parliamentary questions, and parliamentary speeches. At the local level, these standard components of the political science toolbox are not available to researchers in many countries—including Germany. The absence of these data means that politics at the local level remains chronically understudied. In this research note, we draw attention to the dearth of data when studying local politics and the questions that we cannot answer as a result. Specifically, we document our failed attempt to collect local party manifestos in smaller municipalities which would have been the basis for an analysis of political parties’ strategies in response to the lowering of voting ages in local elections in German states. We point to examples from other countries that show that it does not have to be this way.

Building Resilience to Natural Hazards at a Local Level in Germany—Research Note on Dealing with Tensions at the Interface of Science and Practice

Building resilience is a core element of urban resilience that refers to both the (1) intended physical change of the building stock and the related blue, green, and grey infrastructure, as well as (2) the social process of increasing resilience through the goal-driven cooperation of scientists and practitioners. Building resilience at the interface of science and practice is characterized by tensions and a range of approaches to dealing with tensions. To specify this proposition, this research note adopts a strategic spatial planning perspective and introduces the typology of “motors of change” from organizational and management research. We focus on a goal-driven motor of change (“teleology”) and highlight three approaches to dealing with tensions: developing a strategic focus of knowledge integration, setting priorities to enhance resilience as a pro-active ability of disaster risk reduction (DRR), and compromising in the management of trade-offs, such as those between the scales of resilience. For the purpose of illustration, this research note refers to examples of building resilience at a local level in Germany, dealing with heat stress in urban areas, managing the risk of extreme flood events, and analyzing the resilience of innovative infrastructure solutions.

Determinants of Government Membership at the Subnational Level: Empirical Evidence from Large Cities in Germany (1999–2016)

AbstractCoalition governments prevail at the European subnational level. Although some studies explain the formation of subnational government coalitions, we know little about the determinants of individual parties' likelihood of joining such coalitions. This article aims to fill this gap in empirical and theoretical ways. It shows that an important institutional constraint matters for political actors' strategies when forming subnational coalitions: the party affiliation of the directly elected head of the executive. Being the party of the head of the executive or being ideologically close to that party significantly increases a party's likelihood of joining a coalition. The empirical evidence results from multinomial choice models using a novel data set on subnational parties' likelihood of joining 92 coalition governments at the local level in Germany between 1999 and 2016. The findings have substantive implications for subnational institutional settings resembling ‘mixed’ political systems (i.e. neither purely presidential nor purely parliamentarian).

Come Together, Right Now: Storylines and Social Identities in Coalition Building in a Local Policy Subsystem

How do social identities contribute to the formation of coalitions in a policy subsystem? Social identities help to understand the bundling of resources and common strategies for action. Thus, we argue that identification with a group and across groups discursively results in the formulation of shared and competing storylines. As coalitions are characterized by some kind of sameness of their actors which results in shared storylines, we thereby postulate that the link between storylines and social identities provides added value to the explanation of coalition formation. We test whether shared storylines can be traced back to social identities in the different discursive periods of traffic development on a local level in Germany. A media analysis of 110 articles and 14 interviews shows that the assignment of certain group characteristics is discursively confirmed, renegotiated, or rejected. Social identities, therefore, matter for coalition formation.Related ArticlesChang, Katherine T., and Elizabeth A. Koebele. 2020. “What Drives Coalitions' Narrative Strategy? Exploring Policy Narratives around School Choice.” Politics & Policy 48 (4): 618‐657. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12367Shanahan, Elizabeth A., Mark K. McBeth, and Paul L. Hathaway. 2011. “Narrative Policy Framework: The Influence of Media Policy Narrative on Public Opinion.” Politics & Policy 39 (3): 373‐400. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2011.00295.xVercesi, Michelangelo. 2016. “Coalition Politics and Inter‐Party Conflict Management: A Theoretical Framework.” Politics & Policy 44 (2): 168‐219. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12154

Patterns of Policy Networks at the Local Level in Germany

AbstractResearch on policy network formation has contributed to an understanding of the patterns of interaction among political actors. Belief homophily, power seeking, and opportunity structures provide explanations studied for specific policy areas. This study tests these established theories in a different environment by asking: What drives policy network formation at the local level? From a review of the literature on policy networks and local politics, the study derives nine hypotheses, which are tested for a German municipality. Information and coordination networks have been collected among its councilors through an online survey. The study identifies the drivers of their formation utilizing exponential random graph models. Findings support the effects of party membership and perceived influence. They also point to the tendency of councilors to coordinate with the mayor and they emphasize local councils as an influential opportunity structure specific to local networks.

Shaping access to health care for refugees at the local level in Germany

Abstract Background In Germany, the federal states and even the municipalities have considerable scope for shaping implementation of national health policies for newly arrived refugees, including in the way they organize access to health services. We analysed how gatekeepers can shape access to health care at the local level, exploring access models in six municipalities in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Methods We assessed the implementation of local access models and the consequences for access for refugees. Our study covered three municipalities with a health care voucher model and three with an electronic health card model. We combined data from official reports and from 21 semi-structured interviews with gatekeepers. Results Our research illustrates how gatekeepers at the local level can shape and facilitate access to health care for refugees, irrespective of the access model chosen. Larger municipalities are more likely to implement an electronic health card model. Gatekeepers report that costs, workload and control are the major aspects underlying the choice of model in municipalities. Access plays only a minor role, although some gatekeepers claim that the electronic health card model can improve access. Conclusions National health policies can support gatekeepers in their role as facilitators, such as through financial incentives or a minimum amount of bureaucracy. They can also allow newly arrived refugees to become members of the statutory health insurance system, which would relieve social welfare offices and general practitioners (GPs) from their role of gatekeepers.

Smart Specialization Strategies at National, Regional, or Local Levels? Synergy and Policy-making in German Systems of Innovation

Employing a quantitative, data-driven tool - the Triple Helix Indicator - to microdata of firms in Germany, we develop an evidence base for innovation-policy strategies. We aim to answer the question which level of government (local, regional, national) might be most effective for strategic innovation policy-making based on smart specialization in Germany. The empirical results show that the country is decentralized to the extent that it cannot be considered a “national” innovation system. More than two-thirds of innovation-system synergy is generated at the lower levels of districts (NUTS3) and Governmental Regions (NUTS2). In high-tech and medium-tech manufacturing, former East and West Germany, as well as North and South Germany, can be considered separate sub-national innovation systems. These findings strengthen the case for region- and context-specific innovation policies. The results illustrate the value of the Triple Helix Indicator for systematic regional mapping and serve as evidence for policy-makers to expand RIS3 policy strategies to the regional and local level in Germany.

Coping with the Challenges of Mass Migration

This article demonstrates how challenging the current migration is for the local level in Germany. As highlighted in the article, the integration of refugees mainly takes place at the local level, in the municipalities. The municipalities are responsible for a wide range of services, which include the implementation of the Residence Act, granting of social benefits, provision of health care services, accommodation, organization of integration and German language courses, provision of early childhood and school education, as well as support for labor market integration. The municipalities exercise considerable discretion as to how they operate these services and in effect, even though it is technically within the federal level’s jurisdiction, municipalities have some political influence regarding the right of residence. However, the degree of involvement among German municipalities varies and the role they play in integration often depends on the history of migration within their borders, past development of migrant communities, their own financial situation and infrastructure, as well as how the public engages with the issue. Thus, the political action (or non-action) of the municipalities will be decisive in the long-term integration process of refugees.

Topic Coverage of Coalition Agreements in Multi-Level Settings: The Case of Germany

Scholars mostly concentrate on those agreements that are written at the national level when analysing coalition agreements. However, there are also a considerable amount of coalition agreements that are written at sub-national levels. This paper analyses the commonalities and differences in coalition agreements in the German multi-level system at the national, regional and local level. From a legal jurisdiction perspective, one would expect that there are major differences across political levels in the topics covered in the agreements. From a multi-level governance perspective, however, one would additionally expect that government parties also devote their attention to policy domains that lie outside their realm of legislative decision-making. We take Germany as a prime example of a political system characterised by joint decision-making within cooperative federalism. Combining data from the Political Documents Archive (www.polidoc.net) with newly gathered data from the Local Manifesto Project (LMP; www.localpartymanifestos.de), we analyse nearly 200 coalition agreements at the national, regional and local level in Germany by applying quantitative text analysis techniques. The empirical results show that governing parties mostly discuss the policy areas they are legally responsible for. However, particularly local and regional governing parties also address issues that are primarily part of federal jurisdiction.

Does Non-Quota Strategy Matter? A Comparative Study on Candidate Selection and Women's Representation at the Local Level in Germany

AbstractThe intraparty mechanisms through which parties recruit, motivate, and select their candidates are central explanatory factors for the representation of women. This article analyzes the effects of intraparty factors on women's representation by measuring the impact of (1) parties’ non-quota strategies at the regional level—such as establishing women's sections, mentoring programs, or campaign funding for women—and (2) central party gatekeepers at the local level. Exploiting an original, newly compiled data set consisting of 1,475 electoral lists from the 2014 local council elections in the German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, this article shows that parties’ non-quota strategies and central gatekeepers play crucial roles in determining the share of women on local party tickets. This means that who runs for office is, in this case, a question of intraparty dynamics. These dynamics are caused by different mechanisms of non-quota strategies and gender-biased candidate selection combined with interparty effects of local party competition and left-party strength. The almost consistent conditions that the subnational level provides show that the parties’ capacities (or lack thereof) for gendered recruitment is one major explanatory factor and should be tested at least in cross-national comparisons.

Shaping access to health care for refugees on the local level in Germany – Mixed-methods analysis of official statistics and perspectives of gatekeepers

BackgroundAnalyses of refugee reception in European countries are increasingly focusing on the local level. We analyzed how gatekeepers can shape access to health care on a local level, taking as an example the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany, where municipalities have implemented different local access models for newly arrived refugees. MethodsWe assessed the details of and the rationale for the implementation of local access models (implementation analysis), and the potential access to health care for refugees in municipalities (local policy analysis). We covered three municipalities with a health care voucher model and three with an electronic health card model. We combined data from official reports and semi-structured interviews (N = 21) with gatekeepers. ResultsLarger municipalities are more likely to implement the eHC. Gatekeepers report that costs, workload and control are the major aspects underlying the choice of a model in municipalities. Access plays only a minor role – even though some of the gatekeepers claim that the eHC can facilitate access. Regardless of the implemented model, gatekeepers on the local level can contribute to facilitating the access to health care for refugees. ConclusionPotential access of newly arrived refugees is – among others – determined by the gatekeepers’ support and the implementation of the access models. Within the legal framework, municipalities implement the models differently.

Concerns Management, E-Government and E-Participation

Advancements in internet technology have profoundly changed communication between citizens and government authorities. Concerns management systems and smartphone applications offer new and convenient channels of interaction. In Germany, the “Mängelmelder” platform offers a nationwide service channel for local citizens' concerns. Citizens generally use this communication channel for reporting public infrastructure defects. This paper examines whether the “Mängelmelder” platform – with customized systems can facilitate further citizen participation at the local level in Germany. Analysing different customized systems shows that possibilities for further use depend on the way in which local authorities handle the citizens' input. It could not be proven that offering an open category for citizens' recommendations (in a customized concerns management system) has an impact on further citizen participation. But using digital citizen services, such as concerns management platforms, can indeed facilitate increased citizen participation.

Village renewal as an instrument of rural development: evidence from Weyarn, Germany

Rural migrants are usually accused of contributing to urban poverty. This is different in Germany, where urban migrants are often accused of contributing to difficulties in rural living. These difficulties range from distortions in cultural lifestyle to loss of rural identity to unrealistic economic lifestyles. In an effort to help rural people respond to these challenges, the German government initiated a village renewal policy that allows rural communities decide on their future to rurally improve their living conditions. The objective of this study is to present the role village renewal plays as an instrument of rural development in Germany. It provides overview on the meaning and aims of village renewal, as well as its history in Germany. Using data from the local level in Germany, the research investigates how rural development can take place through the application of this instrument. Focusing on Weyarn Municipality, a rural area of upper Bavaria in southern Germany, the research specifically reveals how the community stemmed its emerging urbanization through the implementation of village renewal and regained its rural identity. Since many of the literatures on the subject are in German, this study contributes to the list of works on the subject in English.

NEW PUBLIC MANAGEMENT FOR THE ‘CLASSICAL CONTINENTAL EUROPEAN ADMINISTRATION’: MODERNIZATION AT THE LOCAL LEVEL IN GERMANY, FRANCE AND ITALY

The article is aimed at analysing New Public Management (NPM) reforms at the local level in Germany, France and Italy. The case selection is justified by the fact that these three ‘classical’ Continental European countries have largely been missing from comparative administrative research thus far. The article focuses on local governments, since in all three countries these are considered the NPM forerunners and are acknowledged to be more advanced in reform implementation than are upper levels of government. Against this background, the purpose of this contribution is twofold. On the one hand, we wish to show to what extent and with what effects the NPM agenda has been taken up at the local level in Continental Europe. On the other hand, taking a comparative perspective over time, we wish to ask whether or not there has been increasing convergence or divergence between the three countries as a result of these reforms.

Improving public accountability by aligning reporting to organizational changes in public service provision - an empirical Internet study of all Austrian, German and Swiss towns and states from an agency-theory perspective

Consolidation of public sector budgets, fulfilment of fiscal policy requirements and reforms in the provision of public services have made cooperation increasingly important on the international stage. From the perspective of agency theory, this has led to greater information asymmetries and has altered reporting requirements. However, representative empirical studies concerning the provision of information on the Internet on the types of cooperation under which public activities are performed are still not available. A census conducted for 498 websites at local, state and federal government levels for Germany, Austria and Switzerland shows that the reporting requirements have not been met in practice. At the local level in Germany, of the 414 towns with more than 30,000 inhabitants, cooperation reports were available online for 143, which corresponds to 34.5 percent. During the period of the investigation, no cooperation report was provided on the Internet by any town in Austria or Switzerland. Four main recommended actions are formulated for practical application. Points for practitioners Citizens must have opportunities to obtain with minimum effort information on the organizational status quo of public service provision. Moreover, a clear and transparent view of the organizational structure of the public authority, including its types of cooperation, is essential to enable a basis for decision-making for people such as politicians and professionals in administrations to guarantee the sustainable, effective and efficient provision of public sector activities. A cooperation report is a proven management tool in the private sector, and practitioners can gain rewarding cross-national insights if the general public has access to the required information. This could offer helpful approaches for many countries with comparable challenges.

Die Zukunft der ehrenamtlichen Kommunalverwaltung

The article is based on the discussion of different normative perceptions of local politics and local government. Political science draws a distinction between the different types of decision-making at local level in Germany. These types vary between a consensus democracy on the one hand and a competitive democracy on the other hand. In recent years, the consensus model of democracy has become more important in the German Länder, as well as in towns and cities. That process goes along with a general trend of professionalization that began in the 1970s, and is currently of specific relevance regarding towns and cities. The authors are dealing with the question whether increased professionalization can help overcome existing problems in 79 German cities. Finally the writers ask if the types of democracy are linked to the level of professionalization.

How to Improve the Quality of Democracy? Experiences with Participatory Innovations at the Local Level in Germany

Despite the world-wide triumph of democracy, the quest for an optimal politike has not yet reached the “end of history.” It turns out that representative democracies do not necessarily satisfy citizenries. These malaises are regarded as causes for concern and political actors increasingly pin their hopes on participatory innovations as re-legitimizing responses. But do they work? Germany is an especially interesting case for empirical research. Analysis of the variety of participatory innovations utilized at the local level in Germany—often varying considerably among the different Bundesländer—provides preliminary insights. The German case shows overall that participatory innovations have the potential to cure some of the current malaises of representative democracy. Participatory innovations, however, are certainly no fast-track cure. The useful implementation of participatory innovations requires comprehensive consideration, caution, and, (up to now limited) knowledge about possibilities and pitfalls.

Ecological public functions and fiscal equalisation at the local level in Germany

The concept of sustainability requires the acknowledgement and appropriate financing of ecological, economic and social public functions at all levels of government. Whereas the significance of socio-economic functions has a comparably long tradition in federal systems, the respective consideration of ecological functions is still waiting to be fully realised. The aim of this article is to analyse the roles fiscal federalism and fiscal instruments can play in addressing ecological public functions assigned to decentralised jurisdictions in federal systems. For this purpose, an investigation of intergovernmental fiscal relations and their significance for the local level is carried out by way of example for the Federal Republic of Germany. Based on a status quo analysis of the various German fiscal equalisation laws at the local level, the article presents options for systematically integrating neglected ecological functions and indicators into the existing legal framework. The empirical analysis shows that end-of-the-pipe and infrastructure-related ecological functions are already strongly integrated by way of conditional grants. However, precautionary functions such as nature and resource conservation issues are still largely absent. Therefore, a comprehensive consideration of ecological public functions in Germany calls for the integration of nature conservation issues and respective indicators into the system of intergovernmental fiscal relations.

Glorification, Disillusionment or the Way into the Future? The significance of Local Agenda 21 processes for the needs of local sustainability

The concluding document of the Rio conference in 1992, Agenda 21 for sustainable development, is implemented mainly at the local level in Germany. 'Sustainable development' is a model for the socially fair, economically competitive and ecologically viable development of the world. Local Agenda 21 (LA21) is a new municipal urban development process in which cities and their inhabitants orientate themselves to the model of sustainable development. Analysis of the LA21 process in Germany, and in particular that of the city of Osnabrück, shows deficits between the requirement of achieving sustainability and its practical realisation. Only a marginal development in the direction of sustainability has taken place. Concepts are lacking and the LA21 process is insufficiently integrated into conventional urban planning. Suggestions for the improvement of the LA21 process include the development of a concrete concept, together with the continuation of practical examples, the integration of four main areas (the environment, the social, the economy and the less developed world) and the strengthening of the popular themes in the LA21 process (such as climate protection and less developed countries' politics). El documento final de la conferencia de Rio en 1992 "La Agenda 21 para el desarrollo sostenible", es inplementado principalmente a nivel local en Alemania. "Desarrollo Sostenible" es una modelo para el desarrollo del mundo socialmente justo, ecónomicamente competitivo y ecológicamente viable. La "Agenda Local 21" es un nuevo proceso de desarrollo urbano municipal, en el cual las ciudades y sus habitantes se orientan hacia el modelo de desarrollo sostenible. El análisis del proceso de la Agenda Local 21 en Alemania y en particular el de la ciudad de Osnabrück muestra deficits entre el requerimiento de logro de sostenibilidad y su realización práctica. Solo un desarrollo marginal en la dirección de sostenibilidad ha sido llevado a cabo. Hay carencia de conceptos y el proceso de la Agenda Local 21 es insuficientemente integrado en la planeacio´n urbana convencional. Sugerencias para un mejoramiento del proceso de la AL 21 incluyen el desarrollo de un concepto concreto junto con la continuación de ejemplos practicos, integración de cuatro áreas principales (ambiental, social, económica, y el mundo menos desarrollado) y fortalecimiento de temas populares en el proceso de la AL 21 (tales como protección del clima y políticas de paises menos desarrollados).