DOCSLIB.ORG

Contested Time: Family-Friendly Working Time Policy in Germany and the United Kingdom (1997-2005)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Contested Time: Family-Friendly Working Time Policy in Germany and the United Kingdom (1997-2005) The London School of Economics and Political Science Contested Time: Family-Friendly Working Time Policy in Germany and the United Kingdom (1997-2005) Lisa Christina Warth A thesis submitted to the Department of Social Policy of the London School of Economics and Political Science for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy London, March 2008 Declaration I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the PhD degree of the London School of Economics and Political Science is solely my own work other than where I have clearly indicated that it is the work of others. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of the author. I warrant that this authorization does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third party. Lisa C. Warth 2 Abstract Access to family-friendly working time arrangements is unequally spread both within and between workplaces, leaving many working parents with difficulties in combining employment with family responsibilities. The British and German governments have started to address this problem, but have done so in different ways. Focusing on time allocation in the work/family interface and its implications for gender and employment relations, this thesis explores the differences between the British and German government strategies to improve access to family-friendly working time arrangements for working parents, and how variation can be explained. As the flexibility requirements of employers and employees often diverge and can be in conflict, the thesis further investigates to what extent the German and British policy strategies were designed to empower working parents to access the time flexibility they need. It applies an empowerment perspective to the analysis of policy choice and design and draws on the policy making literature to analyse cross-national variation. Between 1997 and 2005, the incoming centre-left New Labour and ‘Red-Green’ governments both introduced information campaigns and employment rights to improve access. The lack of economic incentives for the provision and take-up of family-friendly working time arrangements reduced the overall empowering potential of the British and German strategies. Although similar at the level of policy choice, employment rights and information campaigns varied at the level of policy design with different implications for access. The thesis concludes that family-friendly working time policy did not achieve a significant redistribution of control over working time to employees in either of the two countries. This can be in part explained by a strong employer lobby and opportunities to influence policy choice and design, but also by the ‘competitive advantage’ of childcare services over family-friendly working time policy, directing government resources to more ‘employer-friendly’ reconciliation policies. 3 Table of contents DECLARATION ................................................................................................................. 2 ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................................... 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................... 4 LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................ 8 LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................. 8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................ 9 LIST OF ACRONYMS .................................................................................................... 10 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 12 I. The reconciliation of work and family life on government agendas ..................................... 14 II. The role of government policy in facilitating work-family reconciliation .......................... 17 III. Family-friendly working time arrangements: a definition ................................................. 20 IV. Research Design ...................................................................................................................... 25 Research question and analytical approach................................................................................. 25 Scope of the study ....................................................................................................................... 27 Research methods and data collection ........................................................................................ 28 The comparative framework and choice of countries ................................................................. 31 V. The structure of the thesis ....................................................................................................... 36 2. ACCESS TO FAMILY-FRIENDLY WORKING TIME ARRANGEMENTS IN GERMANY AND THE UNITED KINGDOM ......................................................... 38 I. Reconciliation choices and government policy in the late 1990s ........................................... 39 The gendered allocation of time to earning and caring ............................................................... 39 Government policy and work-family arrangements ................................................................... 43 Reconciliation policies in the United Kingdom ...................................................................... 43 Reconciliation policies in Germany ........................................................................................ 46 II. Access inequality in the British and German working time regimes .................................. 50 European working time policy .................................................................................................... 51 Statutory regulation of working time at the national level .......................................................... 52 Collective bargaining over family-friendly working time arrangements .................................... 53 Family-friendly working time arrangements at the level of the workplace ................................ 58 4 Variation in provision across workplaces ............................................................................... 58 Barriers to the provision of family-friendly working time arrangements ............................... 61 Access variation within workplaces and the role of workplace culture .................................. 63 Conclusions .................................................................................................................................... 66 3. A FRAMEWORK FOR COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ........................................... 70 I. A framework for the comparison of policy choice and design .............................................. 72 1. The government’s ‘tool kit’: instrument choice ...................................................................... 72 Regulation ............................................................................................................................... 73 Economic means ..................................................................................................................... 74 Information ............................................................................................................................. 75 The basis of division: degree of authoritative force / empowerment ...................................... 76 Policy packages ....................................................................................................................... 77 2. The devil lies in the detail: comparing policy design ............................................................. 79 1. Breadth of coverage ............................................................................................................ 79 2. Precision of targeting .......................................................................................................... 80 3. Scope of employee control over working time flexibility .................................................. 80 4. Enforceability ...................................................................................................................... 81 5. Opportunity costs ................................................................................................................ 82 II. Analysing variation in instrument choice and design ........................................................... 84 Conclusions .................................................................................................................................... 95 4. FAMILY-FRIENDLY WORKING TIME POLICY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM ........................................................................................................................ 98 I. 1997 to 2001 – New Labour’s first term in office.................................................................... 99 The Work-Life Balance Campaign ........................................................................................... 101 Family-friendly employment rights .......................................................................................... 102 The Work and Parents Review 2000:
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Dr. Otto Graf Lambsdorff F.D.P
    Plenarprotokoll 13/52 Deutscher Bundestag Stenographischer Bericht 52. Sitzung Bonn, Donnerstag, den 7. September 1995 Inhalt: Zur Geschäftsordnung Dr. Uwe Jens SPD 4367 B Dr. Peter Struck SPD 4394B, 4399A Dr. Otto Graf Lambsdorff F.D.P. 4368B Joachim Hörster CDU/CSU 4395 B Kurt J. Rossmanith CDU/CSU . 4369 D Werner Schulz (Berlin) BÜNDNIS 90/DIE Dr. Norbert Blüm, Bundesminister BMA 4371 D GRÜNEN 4396 C Rudolf Dreßler SPD 4375 B Jörg van Essen F.D.P. 4397 C Eva Bulling-Schröter PDS 4397 D Dr. Gisela Babel F.D.P 4378 A Marieluise Beck (Bremen) BÜNDNIS 90/ Tagesordnungspunkt 1 (Fortsetzung): DIE GRÜNEN 4379 C a) Erste Beratung des von der Bundesre- Hans-Joachim Fuchtel CDU/CSU . 4380 C gierung eingebrachten Entwurfs eines Rudolf Dreßler SPD 4382A Gesetzes über die Feststellung des Annelie Buntenbach BÜNDNIS 90/DIE Bundeshaushaltsplans für das Haus- GRÜNEN 4384 A haltsjahr 1996 (Haushaltsgesetz 1996) (Drucksache 13/2000) Dr. Gisela Babel F.D.P 4386B Manfred Müller (Berlin) PDS 4388B b) Beratung der Unterrichtung durch die Bundesregierung Finanzplan des Bun- Ulrich Heinrich F D P. 4388 D des 1995 bis 1999 (Drucksache 13/2001) Ottmar Schreiner SPD 4390 A Dr. Günter Rexrodt, Bundesminister BMWi 4345 B Dr. Norbert Blüm CDU/CSU 4390 D - Ernst Schwanhold SPD . 4346D, 4360 B Gerda Hasselfeldt CDU/CSU 43928 Anke Fuchs (Köln) SPD 4349 A Dr. Jürgen Rüttgers, Bundesminister BMBF 4399B Dr. Hermann Otto Solms F.D.P. 4352A Doris Odendahl SPD 4401 D Birgit Homburger F D P. 4352 C Günter Rixe SPD 4401 D Ernst Hinsken CDU/CSU 4352B, 4370D, 4377 C Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Common Core Document of the Federal Republic of Germany
    Common Core Document of the Federal Republic of Germany (as per: 15 May 2009) II Contents CONTENTS.........................................................................................................................................................III A. GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY................................ 1 I. GEOGRAPHICAL , HISTORICAL , DEMOGRAPHIC , SOCIAL , CULTURAL , ECONOMIC AND JUDICIAL CHARACTERISTICS .. 1 1. Geographical category................................................................................................................................ 1 2. Historical background................................................................................................................................. 1 3. Demographic characteristics....................................................................................................................... 3 a. General information.................................................................................................................................................. 3 b. Shares of the population with foreign nationality........................................................................................................ 5 c. Religious affiliation .................................................................................................................................................. 6 4. Social and cultural characteristics..............................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Sharing Competences: the Impact of Local Institutional Settings on Voter Turnout
    A Service of Leibniz-Informationszentrum econstor Wirtschaft Leibniz Information Centre Make Your Publications Visible. zbw for Economics Michelsen, Claus; Bönisch, Peter; Rosenfeld, Martin T. W. Working Paper Sharing Competences: The Impact of Local Institutional Settings on Voter Turnout IWH Discussion Papers, No. 21/2010 Provided in Cooperation with: Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH) – Member of the Leibniz Association Suggested Citation: Michelsen, Claus; Bönisch, Peter; Rosenfeld, Martin T. W. (2010) : Sharing Competences: The Impact of Local Institutional Settings on Voter Turnout, IWH Discussion Papers, No. 21/2010, Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung Halle (IWH), Halle (Saale), http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:101:1-201011242790 This Version is available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/45915 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Documents in EconStor may be saved and copied for your Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. personal and scholarly purposes. Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle You are not to copy documents for public or commercial Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich purposes, to exhibit the documents publicly, to make them machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen. publicly available on the internet, or to distribute or otherwise use the documents in public. Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, If the documents have been made available under an Open gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort Content Licence (especially Creative Commons Licences), you genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. may exercise further usage rights as specified in the indicated licence.
    [Show full text]
  • Personhood in Germany: a Contribution to the Feminist Theory of the State
    ABORTION AND WOMEN'S LEGAL PERSONHOOD IN GERMANY: A CONTRIBUTION TO THE FEMINIST THEORY OF THE STATE D.A. JEREM'Y TELMAN* The unified Federal Republic of Germany has one of the world's most complex and confusing laws governing abortion.' Abortion law in the pre- unification Federal Republic ("West Germany") was already quite compli- cated. The unification process gave rise to further complexities as German lawmakers attempted to reconcile the relatively permissive abortion regu- lations of the German Democratic Republic ("East Germany") with West Germany's more restrictive laws. Beginning in 1972, East Germany granted women unrestricted access to abortion in the first trimester, an ap- proach known as the "periodic model."2 In contrast, since 1976, \West Ger- many had allowed abortion only after the pregnant woman, having undergone mandatory counseling, had procured from a medical profes- sional a certificate indicating that there were legitimate grounds for ending the pregnancy, an approach known as the "indications model."3 Under current law, both abortion and attempted abortion are gener- ally prohibited.4 A woman can procure a legal abortion, however, in cer- tain circumstances. First, the woman seeking an abortion must undergo mandatory counseling. The counseling must take place at a recognized * B.A., 1985, Columbia University; Ph.D., 1993, Cornell University;, J.D., 1999, New York University School of Law (expected). While formulating the ideas for this essay, I benefited greatly from conversations with Professors William E. Nelson, Molly Nolan, Sylvia Law, and Dieter Grimm. New York University's Summer Seminar on Legal Scholarship, taught by William E.
    [Show full text]
  • Rundbrief 4 311009
    Wir brauchen die SPD zurück für die Verteidigung der Lebensinteressen der ArbeitnehmerInnen und Jugend! Liebe Genossinnen und Genossen, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen, Die selbsternannte Führungsriege tourt durchs Land. Ihr Credo ist eindeutig: „Wir blicken auf elf Jahre zurück, in denen wir in Deutschland erfolgreich Regierungsverantwortung wahrgenommen haben“, (Leitantrag für den Parteitag in Dresden). „Erfolgreich“? Für wen? „Doch nach dem Wahldesaster sind die Genossen schwer zu beruhigen. Vor allem die Rente mit 67 und Hartz IV bringen die Gemüter in Wallung“, resümiert die heutige RP eine der Veranstaltungen von Nahles/Gabriel. Kein Wunder: Mit diesem „Weiter so“ ist kein Neuanfang denkbar. Deshalb ist es richtig, wenn Genossen wie Uli Kissels sagen, sie werden die SPD „nicht diesen Leuten überlassen“. Denn angesichts der Landtagswahl in NRW stellt sich die zentrale Frage, die die Genossen Frey und Paternoga aufwerfen: Wie können wir als Sozialdemokraten und Gewerkschafter eine schwarz-gelbe Regierung mit einer SPD-Führung bekämpfen, die selbst die Voraussetzungen dafür geschaffen hat, dass Merkel/Westerwelle jetzt zu den brutalen Schlägen ausholen können? Eine Frage, die auch am 8.11. in Kassel diskutiert werden muss. Wir drucken die Einladung nachfolgend ab. Schließlich veröffentlichen wir den Brief von Andrea Ypsilanti, die eintritt für die „programmatische Neufundierung sozialdemokratischer Politik“ und einen Artikel von Hermann Scheer, der eine „selbstkritische Bestandsaufnahme über die Inhalte und die Methoden der SPD-Politik
    [Show full text]
  • Germany FRACIT Report Online Version
    EUDO CITIZENSHIP OBSERVATORY ACCESS TO ELECTORAL RIGHTS GERMANY Luicy Pedroza June 2013 CITIZENSHIP http://eudo-citizenship.eu European University Institute, Florence Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies EUDO Citizenship Observatory Access to Electoral Rights Germany Luicy Pedroza June 2013 EUDO Citizenship Observatory Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies Access to Electoral Rights Report, RSCAS/EUDO-CIT-ER 2013/13 Badia Fiesolana, San Domenico di Fiesole (FI), Italy © Luicy Pedroza This text may be downloaded only for personal research purposes. Additional reproduction for other purposes, whether in hard copies or electronically, requires the consent of the authors. Requests should be addressed to [email protected] The views expressed in this publication cannot in any circumstances be regarded as the official position of the European Union Published in Italy European University Institute Badia Fiesolana I – 50014 San Domenico di Fiesole (FI) Italy www.eui.eu/RSCAS/Publications/ www.eui.eu cadmus.eui.eu Research for the EUDO Citizenship Observatory Country Reports has been jointly supported, at various times, by the European Commission grant agreements JLS/2007/IP/CA/009 EUCITAC and HOME/2010/EIFX/CA/1774 ACIT, by the European Parliament and by the British Academy Research Project CITMODES (both projects co-directed by the EUI and the University of Edinburgh). The financial support from these projects is gratefully acknowledged. For information about the project please visit the project website at http://eudo-citizenship.eu Access to Electoral Rights Germany Luicy Pedroza 1. Introduction Presently, in Germany, only resident German citizens have the franchise in elections at all levels. EU citizens have and can exercise electoral rights on roughly equivalent conditions to German citizens in municipal and European Parliament elections.
    [Show full text]
  • Antrag Der Abgeordneten Christel Deichmann, Jella Teuchner, Kurt Palis, Gerd Andres, Ernst Bahr, Doris Barnett, Dr
    Deutscher Bundestag Drucksache 13/1349 13. Wahlperiode 12. 05. 95 Antrag der Abgeordneten Christel Deichmann, Jella Teuchner, Kurt Palis, Gerd Andres, Ernst Bahr, Doris Barnett, Dr. Ulrich Böhme (Unna), Hans Büttner (Ingolstadt), Peter Dreßen, Konrad Gilges, Günter Graf (Friesoythe), Karl-Hermann Haack (Extertal), Reinhold Hemker, Monika Heubaum, Lothar Ibrügger, Renate Jäger, Marianne Klappert, Walter Kolbow, Werner Labsch, Erika Lotz, Ulrike Mascher, Heide Mattischeck, Leyla Onur, Adolf Ostertag, Renate Rennebach, Dr. Hermann Scheer, Ottmar Schreiner, Dr. R. Werner Schuster, Horst Sielaff, Wieland Sorge, Dr. Peter Struck, Dr. Gerald Thalheim, Hans-Eberhard Urbaniak, Matthias Weisheit, Verena Wohlleben, Heidemarie Wright, Rudolf Scharping und der Fraktion der SPD Verbesserte Durchlässigkeit zwischen der gesetzlichen Rentenversicherung und der Alterssicherung der Landwirte Der Bundestag wolle beschließen: I. Der Deutsche Bundestag stellt fest: Die eigenständige Versicherung der Bäuerinnen in der Alters- sicherung der Landwirte ist ein großer Erfolg der Agrarsozial- reform, mit der die bisher unzureichende Absicherung beseitigt wird. Die Versicherungspflicht darf daher nicht aufgeweicht wer- den. Sie entspricht den Grundsätzen der innenlandwirtschaft- lichen Solidarität und der finanziellen Solidität in der landwirt- schaftlichen Alterssicherung. Dennoch muß die Reform vor allem hinsichtlich der Regelungen bei den Nebenerwerbsbäuerinnen ergänzt werden: Bisher wer- den Versicherungszeiten im einen System nur teilweise im jeweils anderen
    [Show full text]
  • Vorabveröffentlichung
    Deutscher Bundestag – 16. Wahlperiode – 227. Sitzung. Berlin, Donnerstag, den 18. Juni 2009 25025 (A) (C) Redetext 227. Sitzung Berlin, Donnerstag, den 18. Juni 2009 Beginn: 9.00 Uhr Präsident Dr. Norbert Lammert: Afghanistan (International Security Assis- Die Sitzung ist eröffnet. Guten Morgen, liebe Kolle- tance Force, ISAF) unter Führung der NATO ginnen und Kollegen. Ich begrüße Sie herzlich. auf Grundlage der Resolutionen 1386 (2001) und folgender Resolutionen, zuletzt Resolution Bevor wir in unsere umfangreiche Tagesordnung ein- 1833 (2008) des Sicherheitsrates der Vereinten treten, habe ich einige Glückwünsche vorzutragen. Die Nationen Kollegen Bernd Schmidbauer und Hans-Christian Ströbele haben ihre 70. Geburtstage gefeiert. – Drucksache 16/13377 – Überweisungsvorschlag: (Beifall) Auswärtiger Ausschuss (f) Rechtsausschuss Man will es kaum für möglich halten. Aber da unsere Verteidigungsausschuss Datenhandbücher im Allgemeinen sehr zuverlässig sind, Ausschuss für Menschenrechte und Humanitäre Hilfe (B) muss ich von der Glaubwürdigkeit dieser Angaben aus- Ausschuss für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und (D) gehen. Entwicklung Haushaltsausschuss gemäß § 96 GO Ihre 60. Geburtstage haben der Kollege Christoph (siehe 226. Sitzung) Strässer und die Bundesministerin Ulla Schmidt gefei- ert; ZP 3 Weitere Überweisungen im vereinfachten Ver- fahren (Beifall) (Ergänzung zung TOP 66) ich höre, sie seien auch schön gefeiert worden, was wir u damit ausdrücklich im Protokoll vermerkt haben. a) Beratung des Antrags der Abgeordneten Dr. Gesine Lötzsch,
    [Show full text]
  • Kleine Anfrage Der Abgeordneten Gerd Andres, Hans Büttner (Ingolstadt), Konrad Gilges, Günther Heyenn, Renate Jäger, Dr
    Deutscher Bundestag Drucksache 12/8330 12. Wahlperiode 25. 07. 94 Kleine Anfrage der Abgeordneten Gerd Andres, Hans Büttner (Ingolstadt), Konrad Gilges, Günther Heyenn, Renate Jäger, Dr. Uwe Jens, Regina Kolbe, Ulrike Mascher, Adolf Ostertag, Manfred Reimann, Renate Rennebach, Ottmar Schreiner, Dr. Peter Struck, Hans-Eberhard Urbaniak, Barbara Weiler, Hans-Ulrich Klose und der Fraktion der SPD Stellungnahme der Monopolkommission zur Tarifautonomie In ihrem jüngsten Gutachten bewertet die Monopolkommission die derzeitigen Regelungen zur Tarifautonomie grundsätzlich negativ. Nach dem Gesetz gegen Wettbewerbsbeschränkungen (GWB) soll sie in ihrem Gutachten jedoch Stand und Entwicklung der Unternehmenskonzentration beurteilen und ggf. Änderungs- vorschläge zum GWB aufzeigen. Wir fragen deshalb die Bundesregierung: 1. Wie bewertet die Bundesregierung die im Gutachten der Monopolkommission unterschwellig enthaltene These, daß die Bindungswirkung von Tarifverträgen und der Zusammen- schluß der Tarifvertragsparteien in Arbeitgeberverbände und Gewerkschaften das eigentliche Problem der Monopolbildung darstellen? 2. Welche zusätzlichen Erkenntnisse hat die Bundesregierung aus den Ausführungen der Monopolkommission zum Tarifvertrags- recht gewonnen angesichts der Tatsache, daß diese Fragestel- lung bereits im Gutachten der Deregulierungskommission ab- gehandelt wurde? 3. Trifft es zu, daß das Arbeitsrecht von vornherein nicht zum Anwendungsbereich des GWB gehörte und daher unter den Ausnahmetatbeständen nicht extra aufgeführt ist? 4. Teilt die Bundesregierung
    [Show full text]
  • Conservative Parties and the Birth of Democracy
    Conservative Parties and the Birth of Democracy How do democracies form and what makes them die? Daniel Ziblatt revisits this timely and classic question in a wide-ranging historical narrative that traces the evolution of modern political democracy in Europe from its modest beginnings in 1830s Britain to Adolf Hitler’s 1933 seizure of power in Weimar Germany. Based on rich historical and quantitative evidence, the book offers a major reinterpretation of European history and the question of how stable political democracy is achieved. The barriers to inclusive political rule, Ziblatt finds, were not inevitably overcome by unstoppable tides of socioeconomic change, a simple triumph of a growing middle class, or even by working class collective action. Instead, political democracy’s fate surprisingly hinged on how conservative political parties – the historical defenders of power, wealth, and privilege – recast themselves and coped with the rise of their own radical right. With striking modern parallels, the book has vital implications for today’s new and old democracies under siege. Daniel Ziblatt is Professor of Government at Harvard University where he is also a resident fellow of the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies. He is also currently Fernand Braudel Senior Fellow at the European University Institute. His first book, Structuring the State: The Formation of Italy and Germany and the Puzzle of Federalism (2006) received several prizes from the American Political Science Association. He has written extensively on the emergence of democracy in European political history, publishing in journals such as American Political Science Review, Journal of Economic History, and World Politics.
    [Show full text]
  • PDF-Download
    Headnotes to the Judgment of 25 August 2005 - 2 BvE 4/05 - 1. A vote of confidence aiming to dissolve the Bundestag is only consti- tutional if it not only meets the formal requirements, but also satisfies the purpose of Article 68 of the Basic Law. The Basic Law (Grundge- setz) seeks to create a viable government by means of Article 63, Arti- cle 67 and Article 68. 2. The vote of confidence aiming at dissolution is only justified if the via- bility of a Federal Government which is anchored in Parliament has been lost. Viability means that the Federal Chancellor exercises politi- cal will in order to determine the general guidelines of policy, and is aware of having a majority of Members of the Bundestag behind him in so doing. 3. The Federal Chancellor is constitutionally obliged neither to resign, nor to take measures revealing the political dissent in the majority supporting the Government in Parliament in the event of a doubtful majority in the Bundestag. 4. The Federal Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht) exam- ines the expedient application of Article 68 of the Basic Law only to the restricted degree provided by the constitution. a. Whether a government is still politically viable depends vitally on what aims it pursues and what resistance it must expect from the parlia- mentary sphere. The assessment of viability has the character of a prognosis and is tied to highly individual perceptions and weighing appraisals of the situation. b. By their nature, an erosion of confidence and a withdrawal of confi- dence which is not openly displayed cannot be easily described and identified in court proceedings.
    [Show full text]
  • The European Election in Germany
    E-PAPER The European Election in Germany BY SEBASTIAN BUKOW Published by the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, June 2019 The European Election in Germany By Sebastian Bukow Contents 1 Summary 3 2 Election result 5 2.1 Breakdown of votes 5 2.2 Distribution of seats and representation of women 8 3 Political mood before the election 11 3.1 Political mood regarding Europe before the election: interested, pro-European and concerned 11 3.2 Dynamics during the election campaign 15 4 Voting behaviour 18 4.1 Time of decision, motive, topics 18 4.2 Sociodemographic findings 19 4.3 Regional findings 22 The Author 24 Imprint 24 1 Summary Election result The European Election changed Germany's federal party-political landscape. For the first time in a nationwide election, Bündnis 90/Die Grünen (the Greens) are in second place (20.5 per cent; +9.8 percentage points) and are placed in front of the SPD (the Social Democrats). The Greens' absolute number of votes also increased; almost 7.7 million votes were cast for the Greens compared to 4.2 million second votes (party votes) in the Federal Election or 3.1 million in the last European Election. Among voters under 60, the Greens are the strongest party. The CDU/CSU (Christian Democratic Union and its sister party, the Christian Social Union) and SPD scored their worst results ever in a European Election. Of the Union parties, the CDU lost significantly (22.6 per cent), while the CSU with their top candidate Weber scored slight gains (6.3 per cent).
    [Show full text]