Governance in Germany - Tamed or handcuffed?

Eighteen years ago, Peter Katzenstein saw Germany "tamed" to its advantage: tamed by the structures of a "semisovereign state" that allowed for all but incremental policy changes. Simon Green and William B. Paterson from the University of Birmingham have assembled some of the most prominent scholars of German politics for a critical re-assessment of Katzenstein's concept in their latest publication "Governance in Contemporary Germany - The Semisovereign State Revisited".

During the book presentation titled "Governance in Germany - tamed or handcuffed?", the English publishers discussed with Mr. Katzenstein and Wolfgang Streeck, Director of the Max Planck Institute for the Studies of Societies, about the necessity of institutional reforms in Germany. In the Galakutschensaal of the Academy of Music Hanns Eisler Berlin, Mr. Streeck considered the political system of Germany tamed and called for reforms coming from the civil society. Michael Zürn, Dean of the Hertie School, moderated the debate and asked for the most important reforms for Germany. Green's answer: "Tax Reform and Reform of Federalism." The Hertie School soon attends to both aspects. On June 13, Friedrich Merz, member of the German parliament, discusses with Wolfgang Schön, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Institutional Property Rights, Competition and Tax Law Munich. On June 14, Fritz Scharpf, former Director of the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies Cologne, and Erwin Teufel, former Minister of Baden-Wuerttemberg, talk about the German Reform of Federalism. For further information about the Governance Forum click here.

Since May 2005, the collection "GOVERNANCE IN CONTEMPORARY GERMANY - The Semisovereign State revisited", edited by William E. Paterson and Simon Green, is available at Cambridge University Press.