Recasting German federalism? The politics of fiscal decentralization in post-unification Germany

Why did the ideas of fiscal decentralization gain such political currency in Germany in the late 1990s but meet such a relatively dismal political fate by the Summer of 2001? In answering this question, I propose a framework centered around the interaction of ideas and state institutions to study the politics of fiscal decentralization in advanced democratic nation-states. First, I show that the new set of politically-charged ideas of fiscal decentralization which gained political weight in Germany in the late 1990s were driven by economic problems associated with German unification, the increasing popularity of “fiscal federalism” in German policy circles, and a centerperiphery conflict within German political parties. Second, my analysis explains the political failure of these ideas despite their apparent popularity among political and policy elites. Here, I focus on the role of the upper house of the German parliament in order to explain why these ideas have had such little policy success. After demonstrating that the long-standing tradition of “cooperative” federalism has largely survived German unification, the paper concludes by discussing the potential impact of the European Union’s 1997 Growth and Stability Pact on German federalism.     

EG-Umwelthaftungs-Richtlinie und Biodiversität

Im April 2004 ist die Richtlinie 2004/35/EG des Europ?ischen Parlamentes und des Rates über Umwelthaftung zur Vermeidung und Sanierung von Umweltsch?den (Umwelt-Haftungs-Richtlinie – UH-RL) in Kraft getreten. Der deutsche Gesetzgeber hat die Richtlinie bis zum April 2007 in nationales Recht umzusetzen, ein Referentenentwurf liegt bereits vor. Dieser Beitrag stellt die zentralen biodiversit?tsspezifischen Regelungen der Richtlinie vor und bewertet sie vor dem Hintergrund des bestehenden deutschen Rechts. Die Richtlinie konstituiert eine ?ffentlich-rechtliche Verantwortlichkeit der Verursacher von Umweltsch?den, der Eingriffsbefugnisse der Beh?rden korrespondieren. Sie bringt an einigen Punkten Neuerungen für das deutsche Recht. Bei Sch?den an den von der Richtlinie erfassten geschützten Arten und Lebensr?umen fordert sie nicht nur die Wiederherstellung des früheren Zustandes, sondern verlangt auch einen Ausgleich für „zwischenzeitliche Verluste“.     

Federalists in the Attic: Original Intent, the Heritage Movement, and Democratic Theory

Although the United States is often criticized for its lack of historical consciousness, historicity provides a compelling rhetorical trump in constitutional argument, particularly according to advocates of original under-standing jurisprudence or "originalism." Originalism has also proven to be quite popular as a constitutional position, especially in public discourse outside academe and the courts. I argue that originalism's appeal derives from Americans'interest in heritage. Using the literature on public history, memory, and cultural studies to distinguish the cultural phenomenon of heritage from history proper, I argue that originalism, like heritage, offers the possibility of an immediate and authentic encounter with the past tied to a critique of modernism as both antidemocratic and inauthentic. Originalism portrays the federal period as a special moment of civic unity, whose virtues have been preserved by the larger public, but have been eroded among elites by modernity.     

Effect of drug treatment during work release on new arrests and incarcerations

Nearly 1,300 drug involved prisoners from the Delaware correctional system were followed for up to five years after release. Those who had participated in a work release therapeutic community treatment program, compared to a similar group in regular work release, were significantly less likely to have had a new arrest, or to have returned to incarceration, and had significantly longer times before arrest or return to custody, even when controlling for demographic differences and differences in criminal, drug use, and employment histories. In addition to the treatment effects, new arrests were most strongly related to criminal history, while return to incarceration was associated more generally with drug use and demographic differences. Those with a more extensive criminal history showed particular benefits from the treatment program, and those older from participating in aftercare following treatment.