German Politics 

About: German Politics is an academic journal published by Routledge. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): German & Politics. It has an ISSN identifier of 0964-4008. Over the lifetime, 1009 publications have been published receiving 12308 citations.

The economics and politics of the Euro crisis

Abstract: This article addresses puzzles raised by the Euro crisis: why was EMU established with limited institutional capacities, where do the roots of the crisis lie, how can the response to the crisis be explained, and what are its implications for European integration? It explores how prevailing economic doctrines conditioned the institutional shape of the single currency and locates the roots of the crisis in an institutional asymmetry grounded in national varieties of capitalism, which saw political economies organised to operate export-led growth models joined to others accustomed to demand-led growth. The response to the crisis is reviewed and explained in terms of limitations in European institutions, divergent economic doctrines and the boundaries of European solidarity. Proposed solutions to the crisis based on deflation or reflation are assessed from a varieties of capitalism perspective and the implications for European integration reviewed.

The AfD and its Sympathisers: Finally a Right-Wing Populist Movement in Germany?

Abstract: Is the Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) the exponent of a successful right-wing populist movement in Germany? By analysing the positions, the discursive links and the sympathisers of the AfD, this article aims to draw a comprehensive picture of the new party and its environment. The link to populism research offers a conceptual framework for a mixed-method study which focuses on important aspects of the party's history, self-description and position in Germany's public discourse as well as its supporters by analysing two sets of quantitative and qualitative data. We argue that the AfD follows a nuanced and diverse communication strategy and can be regarded as a functional equivalent for a right-wing populist party in a country where right-wing politics are strongly stigmatised.

Economic reform and the political economy of the German welfare state

Abstract: The central problem of the German economy is the high costs of labour, driven up by the burden of funding an extensive welfare state through social insurance contributions that operate as payroll taxes on employment. The study identifies the political causes of the long-term rise in non-wage labour costs. It analyses the reforms of the last decade, showing how the multiplicity of veto points in the German political economy has weakened reform initiatives and reduced the prospect for effective reform in the foreseeable future.

The 'Alternative für Deutschland' in the electorate : between single-issue and right-wing populist party

Abstract: The good result of the recently formed Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) was a striking outcome of the 2013 Federal Election. This article explores why AfD supporters chose this party at the 2013 Federal Election and at the 2014 European and eastern German State (Land) Elections. At the Federal Election the AfD's electorate was composed of two groups: a minority of instrumental issue-voters that were drawn to the AfD by its emphasis and positioning on the Euro crisis, and a majority of ‘late supporters’ that decided close to Election Day and were moved more by expressive motives, most notably xenophobic sentiments like those identified in other European countries as a main source of support for right-wing populist parties. The analysis of the subsequent elections shows that, paralleling developments in the AfD's public rhetoric, the Euro crisis ceased to be important for AfD support whereas xenophobic motives became more central.

From managed to market capitalism? German finance in transition

Abstract: Deregulation, technological change, and the integration of markets increase the competitive pressures on forms of national and sectoral governance. The heart of the issue is whether the continental, consensus‐oriented model of capitalism is gravitating towards the Anglo‐Saxon, market‐oriented model. This essay examines the heuristic value of this convergence thesis, using the German financial sector and its relations to industry and government as a case in point. It will be argued that while the institutional restructuring that is taking place within Germany reflects characteristics of Anglo‐Saxon capitalism, institutional hurdles, such as federal structures and the veto power of certain societal lobbies, have thus far prevented such a convergence throughout the entire system.