9783832929916

Competition versus cooperation; German federalism in need of reform--a comparative perspective.

Ed. by Ralf Thomas Baus et al.

Nomos

2007

375 pages

$89.00

Hardcover

JF541

In the summer of 2006,

the German Bundestag and Bundesrat concluded Federalism Reform I, more than 40 constitutional amendments representing the most extensive constitutional reform since 1949 and establishing a new division of legislative powers between the Federation and the Lander (the German states). This prompted the convening of an October 2006 international conference in which German and international participants in the fields of politics and economics examined Federalism Reform I from the perspective of other federal systems. Baus (politics, Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Germany), Blindenbacher (vice president, global programs, Forum of Federations, Canada), and Karpen (public law, U. Hamburg, Germany) present 32 papers from the conference, organized into sections devoted to competitive federalism versus unitary or cooperative federalism; legislative and/or executive federalism; participation of the Lander on the federal level; exclusive, concurrent, and framework legislation of the federation; foreign policy, European Union matters, defense, and planning; education, science, health, and environmental protection; interaction between levels of government; cities and metropolitan areas; impact of European government on federal and state levels and participation of the Lander in European government; taxing, spending, and state debt; fiscal equalization; financing localities; and financing the federal system. Contributions by German participants are presented in German and summarized in English and vice versa for contributions from international participants, with each being represented about equally. Distributed in the US by ISBS.

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