European Centre for Research on Federalism

Themen der Forschung [Research Issues]

Föderalismus und Bundesstaatlichkeit in Deutschland: Eine Analyse aus der Perspektive der vergleichenden Politikwissenschaft

Ludger Helms

pp. 115-135

This article seeks to highlight and analyse the key features of the German federal system from an internationally comparative perspective. As in other fields of study, comparative research contributes to a deeper understanding of structural und functional features of federal institutions and systems. Insights from comparative inquiry do not only add to our theoretical knowledge of federal institutions but also, and no less importantly, provide a sound basis for institutional engineering. Whereas some elements of the German federal system, such as the overall amount of institutional veto power of the Bundesrat, appear much less spectacular if looked at from a comparative angle, others, such as the prominent role of interlocking devices and cooperative practices, are all the more notable. Another lesson taught by comparative analysis relates to the importance of considering institutional devices and their functional performance in their specific institutional, political and social contexts.

Suggested citation for this article:
Helms, Ludger 2006: Föderalismus und Bundesstaatlichkeit in Deutschland: Eine Analyse aus der Perspektive der vergleichenden Politikwissenschaft, in: Europäisches Zentrum für Föderalismus-Forschung (ed.): Jahrbuch des Föderalismus 2006. Föderalismus, Subsidiarität und Regionen in Europa, Baden-Baden: Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft, p. 115-135.