Germany on the Road to Normalcy Policies and Politics of the Red-Green Federal Government (1998-2002)

by Reutter, Werner

• ISBN13: 9781403964397
• ISBN10: 1403964394
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-04-03
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

The contributors to this volume examine policies and politics of the Red-Green government in Germany, put recent changes and developments in this country in a long-term perspective, and provide conclusions about future developments. The volume addresses the concern that although many thought that the "German question", which shaped European history so catastrophically in the last century, had been solved for good in 1990, many others still see Germany as a problem case in Europe. This raises the question about the future of Germany and the performance of the incumbent government that this book seeks to answer.

Author Biography

Werner Reutter has worked as a research fellow at the Social Science Research Center Berlin, the Free University Berlin and as assistant professor at the Humboldt University Berlin. He was visiting professor in Berlin and in Bonn, and is currently Visiting Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota. His most recent books include: M÷glichkeiten und Grenzen internationaler Gewerkschaftspolitik (1998), VerbSnde und Verbandssysteme in Westeurope (2002, co-editor); Verfassung und Verfassungspolitik in Deutschland und Gro¯britannien (2001, co-editor).

Table of Contents

Introduction * "Germany on the Road to 'Normalcy": Policies and Politics of the Red-Green Federal Government (1998-2002)--Werner Reutter * Part I: Institutional and Structural Dimensions: Parties, Coalition Government, and Chancellor Democracy * One Electorate? Social Policy Views and Voters' Choice in the Unified Germany since 1990--Robert Rohrschneider and Michael Wolf * The German Party System: Developments after Unification * Bernhard Wessels * Gerhard Schröder as "Coordination Chancellor"? The Impact of Institutions and Arenas on the Chancellor's Style of Governance--Sabine Kropp * Part II: 'Old Politics': Economic and Social Policy * The Red-Green Government, the Third Way and the Alliance for Jobs, Training and Competitiveness--Werner Reutter * Policy Failure: The Economic Record of the Red-Green Coalition in Germany, 1998-2002 --Kurt Hübner * Continuity or Change: Red-Green Social Policy after Sixteen Years of Christian Democratic Rule--Martin Seeleib-Kaiser * Part III: Current Issues and 'New' Politics: Internal Security, Environmental policy, and Immigration * Internal Security and the Politics of Law and Order--Gert-Joachim Glaessner * From Taboo to Strategic Tool in Politics: Immigrants and Immigration Policies in German Party Politics--Oliver Schmidtke * Red-Green Environmental Policy in Germany: Strategies and Performance Patterns--Kristine Kern, Stephanie Koenen and Tina Löffelsend * Part IV: Germany and the World: European Politics and Foreign Policy * From 'Tamed' to 'Normal' Power: A New Paradigm in German Foreign and Security Policy?--August Pradetto * European Politics of the Red-Green Government: Deepening and Widening Continued--Barbara Lippert

Introduction * Germany on the Road to 'Normalcy': Policies and Politics of the Red-Green Federal Government (1998-2002)--Werner Reutter * Part I. Institutional and Structural Dimensions: Parties, Coalition Government, and Chancellor Democracy * One Electorate? Social Policy Views and Voters' Choice in the Unified Germany since 1990--Robert Rohrschneider and Michael Wolf * The German Party System: Developments after Unification * Bernhard Wessels * Gerhard Schröder as 'Coordination Chancellor'? The Impact of Institutions and Arenas on the Chancellor's Style of Governance--Sabine Kropp * Part II. 'Old Politics': Economic and Social Policy * The Red-Green Government, the Third Way and the Alliance for Jobs, Training and Competitiveness--Werner Reutter * Policy Failure: The Economic Record of the Red-Green Coalition in Germany, 1998-2002 --Kurt Hübner * Continuity or Change: Red-Green Social Policy after Sixteen Years of Christian Democratic Rule--Martin Seeleib-Kaiser * Part III. Current Issues and 'New' Politics: Internal Security, Environmental policy, and Immigration * Internal Security and the Politics of Law and Order--Gert-Joachim Glaessner * From Taboo to Strategic Tool in Politics: Immigrants and Immigration Policies in German Party Politics--Oliver Schmidtke * Red-Green Environmental Policy in Germany: Strategies and Performance Patterns--Kristine Kern, Stephanie Koenen and Tina Löffelsend * Part IV. Germany and the World: European Politics and Foreign Policy * From 'Tamed' to 'Normal' Power: A New Paradigm in German Foreign and Security Policy?--August Pradetto * European Politics of the Red-Green Government: Deepening and Widening Continued--Barbara Lippert