GERMANY’S ELECTORAL SYSTEM AT 60: TRENDS AND REFORMS FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY AICGS GERMAN-AMERICAN ISSUES 11 Karen Donfried Olaf Gersemann Beate Jochimsen Jörg Siegmund AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR CONTEMPORARY GERMAN STUDIES THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword 3 About the Authors 5 The American Institute for Contemporary German Studies strengthens the German-American relation - The Decline of the Volksparteien 7 ship in an evolving Europe and changing world. The Institute produces objective and original analyses of Economic Challenges for the New German Government 19 developments and trends in Germany, Europe, and the United States; creates new transatlantic networks; and facilitates dialogue among the busi - The German Fiscal Federal System 27 ness, political, and academic communities to manage differences and define and promote common inter - U.S. Expectations of Germany after the Election 37 ests. ©2009 by the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies ISBN 1-933942-22-3 ADDITIONAL COPIES: Additional Copies of this Policy Report are available for $5.00 to cover postage and handling from the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies, 1755 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 202/332-9312, Fax 202/265-9531, E-mail:
[email protected] Please consult our website for a list of online publications: http://www.aicgs.org The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) alone. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies. germany’s electoral system at 60 FOREWORD When Germany elected a new government on 27 September 2009, it did so not with an eye to the party, economic, or political successes of the previous sixty years.