Europäisches Zentrum für Föderalismus-Forschung

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Die Verlagerung von sozialpolitischen Zuständigkeiten in Deutschland und Kanada: Einflusswege der Gliedstaaten

Saskia Jung

S. 58-73

The distribution of responsibilities in federal systems changes. There is no automatic centralization, nor do all levels of government strive for power accumulation. The article shows the diversity of political and financial interests of both national and sub-national levels of government regarding shifts of responsibilities, including autonomy, the respect for international obligations, the countrys unity in a long term perspective and party ideology. It looks at four shifts of responsibilities in Canada and Germany, (1) the introduction of social assistance for employable persons in Germany, (2) the introduction of the Canada Health and Social Transfer in Canada, (3) the transfer of active labour market policy to the Canadian provinces and (4) the shift of the German law for institutional care to the Länder. Under what circumstances is the national level in a position to decide on its own about a shift of responsibilities, and when does it have to compromise with sub-national units? The four case studies show that not only the differences in the formal federal and institutional structure (among others the second chamber and the election system) explain the national levels need to compromise. Indeed, formal ways are important: The strong Bundesrat helped the German Länder in case study 1 to shape the reform according to their preferences. And the absence of a powerful representation of the Canadian provinces at the center allowed the national level to make the unilateral shift in case study 2. But political channels such as the party system open alternative ways of influence. In case study 3, despite the lacking formal influence, Canadian provinces dominated the active labour market reform. And case study 4 illustrates in Germany  at a time when the formal representation of the Länder at the center was ineffective that the characteristics of political channels did not support their influence via this way.

Zitiervorschlag für diesen Artikel:
Jung , Saskia 2008: Die Verlagerung von sozialpolitischen Zuständigkeiten in Deutschland und Kanada: Einflusswege der Gliedstaaten, in: Europäisches Zentrum für Föderalismus-Forschung (Hrsg.): Jahrbuch des Föderalismus 2007. Föderalismus, Subsidiarität und Regionen in Europa, Baden-Baden: Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft, S. 58-73.