Bulletin n. 2/2008
September 2008
CONTENTS
  • Section A) The theory and practise of the federal states and multi-level systems of government
  • Section B) Global governance and international organizations
  • Section C) Regional integration processes
  • Section D) Federalism as a political idea
    • Seemann Wenke
    Do State Elections Affect Federal Governments' Legislative Behaviour? Empirical Evidence from the German Case, 1976-2005
    in German Politics , Volume 17, Issue 3, September ,  2008 ,  252-269
    One often finds assumptions in political science literature based on a phenomenon referred to as Dauerwahlkampf (permanent campaigning) which postulate an influence of state elections on the federal government's legislation in Germany. However, specific effects have not been observed, nor are there any systematic studies of the presumed relationship. Therefore, this article discusses the assumptions and empirically examines their validity. The results of the quantitative analysis not only confirm a significant influence of state elections on the German federal government's bill initiation and passing rates, but also indicate a surprising effect of state elections on the degree of conflict in the voting behaviour of the Bundestag and the Bundesrat.
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