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Domestic Policy

A variety of reasons, including demographic change, global migration patterns, economic hardship, and climate change, demand that both Germany and the U.S. craft domestic policies that effectively address their populations’ concerns. This imperative is also seen in the political sphere, as voters make their voices heard in state, federal, and supranational elections.
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Scouting the Land for Opportunities: Issues and Challenges in Refugee Workforce Integration in Germany and the United States

March 13 saw strong voter support in three German state elections for the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) Party. Fueled by continuing waves of incoming refugees, anxiety is building in …

Burden or Blessing? The Impact of Refugees on Germany’s Labor Market

Germany is in the midst of a heated discussion: Are refugees a burden or a blessing for the German labor market? Supporters of the “blessing” camp argue the country’s aging …

Transportation Gets Tricky for Germany

From April 23 to May 8, German rail operator Deutsche Bahn is expected to close an important stretch of track between Hanover and Kassel for construction work. This closure will …

A Party System in Flux

Coalition governments in Germany have a long tradition, though more so at the federal level (where there have always been coalitions) than at the state level. These two or more party coalitions are as a rule not desired, but are generally forced by the election results or determined by the strength of the political groups after the election.

Germans Go To The Polls

While many Americans were focused on the primaries underway in the U.S., on March 13, Germans in three states went to the polls to elect their state governments.  The first …

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State Elections as a Celebration of Democracy

Refugees decided the weekend’s state elections. The refugee politics were the 2016 power issue in competition between parties. All three incumbents were confirmed as minister-president in Rheinland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg, and Saxony-Anhalt, because they have showcased superior competence in the face of epochal challenges.

Super Sunday Was Not Black Sunday

In spite of the wide-spread, largely foreign, media reaction to the three state elections, the sky did not fall on March 13. Chancellor Merkel’s unprecedented decision to welcome over one …

Landtagswahlen als Feste der Demokratie

Englische Version Flüchtlinge haben die Landtagswahlen vom Wochenende entschieden. Die Flüchtlingspolitik markiert 2016 die Machtfrage im Parteienwettbewerb. Alle drei Amtsinhaber wurden in Rheinland-Pfalz, Baden-Württemberg, Sachsen-Anhalt als Ministerpräsidenten bestätigt, weil sie …

Ein Parteiensystem im Umbruch

Koalitionsregierungen haben in Deutschland eine langeTradition, mehr noch auf der Bundesebene (dort gab es bisher keine andere Form der Regierung) als auf der Landesebene. Diese Zwei-oder Mehrfachkoalitionen sind in der Regel keine Wunschkoalitionen, sondern durch das Wahlergebnis erzwungen beziehungsweise durch die Stärke der Fraktionen nach der Wahl bestimmt.

It’s Not All About Refugees: Five Lessons from Germany’s Super Sunday

Last Sunday, three German Bundesländer—Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saxony-Anhalt—held their state elections. The federal states themselves are very diverse. The first is one of Germany’s most industrialized powerhouses and governed by …

Looking for Leadership, German Voters Send a Signal

Chancellor Merkel may not be very happy with the results of Sunday’s state elections in Germany, but she is not any worse off than she was on Saturday.  That is …

Migrant Crisis Leading to Rise of Far-Right Politicians

In advance of this Sunday’s state-level elections in three German states, The New York Times analyzes how the migrant crisis is building support for far-right leader Frauke Petry and her Alternative …