Institutional interplay in global environmental governance: lessons learned and future research

International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics - Over the past decades, the growing proliferation of international institutions governing the global environment has impelled...     

Revisiting the Income Tax Effects of Legalizing Same‐Sex Marriages

In this paper we estimate the impacts on income tax collections of legalizing same‐sex marriage. We utilize new individual‐level data sources to estimate the federal income tax consequences of legalizing same‐sex marriages. These data sources also allow us to estimate the impact of legalization on state income tax collections. We find that 23 states would realize a net fiscal benefit from legalization, while 21 states would experience a decline in revenue. The potential (annual) changes in state tax revenue range from negative $29 million in California to positive $16 million in New York. At the federal level, our estimates suggest an overall reduction in revenues, ranging from a potential loss of $187 million to $580 million. Overall, we find that the federal and state impacts are quite modest. We also find that our estimates are only marginally affected by alternative assumptions about how many same‐sex couples will choose to marry and which partner will claim any children for tax deduction purposes.     

To adapt or to defend? Comparing position shifts among Bundestag candidates between 2013 and 2017

In this research note, candidate survey data from the German Longitudinal Election Study (GLES) is used to analyse positional shifts of German Bundestag parties between 2013 and 2017. Two developments make Germany a particularly interesting case: (1) the liberal but also controversial policies of the Merkel cabinet during the European refugee crisis and (2) the change of leadership within the right-wing populist party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). Applying scaling techniques to locate candidates of both elections in the same two-dimensional policy space, the analysis demonstrates that in 2017 the AfD took a distinct radical right position in the party system of Germany. Moreover, the study finds that almost all parties moved to the right on the cultural left–right dimension in 2017, whereas for the economic left–right dimension this has not been the case. Contrary to the mantra of an ideological delineation against right-wing populism, there has been a robust socio-political conservative shift in the German party system.     

Verminderte Anforderungen an die FFH-Verträglichkeisprüfung und die Prüfung artenschutzrechtlicher Verbotstatbestände, gesteigerte Darlegungslast für ein faktisches Vogelschutzgebiet nach dem Beschluss des BVerwG vom 13. März 2008

Zusammenfassung  Mit den Beschlüssen vom 13. M?rz 2008 zur BAB A 4 (“agdbergtunnel”) hat der 9. Senat des BVerwG die strengen Ma?st?be, die er mit dem Urteil zur “Westumfahrung Halle” für die Prüfung der FFH-Vertr?glichkeit und artenschutzrechtlicher Verbotstatbest?nde gesetzt hat, erheblich abgeschw?cht. Auf der andern Seite wurden die Anforderungen an die Darlegung eines faktischen Vogelschutzgebiets und der Verletzung artenschutzrechtlicher Verbotstatbest?nde für potentielle Kl?ger versch?rft.