Abstract
This entry provides an overview of German federalism. It focuses on the historical background, basic structures and concepts, its constitutional entrenchment, and political rationalities. The German federalism can be considered as a strategy to mutually bind the federal spheres closely together across all state functions. Consequently, it is both characterized by mechanisms of ongoing political compromising and delineation of powers. While this type of federalism is for some the reason for cumbersome politics and partly inconceivable patchworks of regulation, it should be credited with distinct merits in terms of political representation, solid bargaining, and stability.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brugger, Winfried. 2003. Die US-Verfassung im Vergleich zum Grundgesetz. In Konflikt der Rechtskulturen, ed. Knud Krakau and Franz Streng, 49–66. Germany: Universitätsverlag Winter Heidelberg.
Cane, Peter. 2016. Controlling Administrative Power. Cambridge University Press.
Currie, David P. 1994. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany. Chicago\London: The University of Chicago Press.
Goldhammer, Michael. 2016. Kritik und Rekonstruktion kompetenzbezogener Verhältnismäßigkeit im Unionsorganisationsrecht. In Verhältnismäßigkeit im Völkerrecht, ed. Björnstjern Baade et al., 125–144. Germany: Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen.
Häberle, Peter. 1986. Verfassungsrechtliche Ewigkeitsklauseln als verfassungsstaatliche Identitätsgarantien. In Völkerrecht im Dienste des Menschen, ed. Yvo Hangartner and Stefan Trechsel, 81–108. Bern\Stuttgart: Paul Haupt Verlag.
Halberstam, Daniel. 2008. Comparative Federalism and the Role of Judiciary. In The Oxford Handbook of Law and Politics, ed. Keith Wittington et al. Oxford University Press.
———. 2009. Federal Powers and the Principle of Subsidiarity. In Global Perspectives on Constitutional Law, ed. Vikram David Amar and Mark V. Tushnet, 34–48. New York\Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hesse, Konrad. 1962. Der unitarische Bundesstaat. Karlsruhe: C.F. Müller.
Heun, Werner. 1995. The Evolution of Federalism. In Studies in German Constitutionalism, ed. Christian Starck, 168–194. Germany: Nomos, Baden-Baden.
———. 2011. The Constitution of Germany. A Contextual Analysis. Oxford: Hart Publishing.
Kollman, Ken. 2013. Perils of Centralization. Lessons from Church, State, and Corporation. UK: Cambridge University Press.
Kommers, Donald P. 2003. The Grundgesetz: An American Perspective. In Konflikt der Rechtskulturen, ed. Knud Krakau and Franz Streng, 37–47. Germany: Universitätsverlag Winter Heidelberg.
Kommers, Donald P., and Russel A. Miller. 2012. The Constitutional Jurisprudence of the Federal Republic of Germany. 3rd ed. Revised and Expanded. Durham\London: Duke University Press.
Kramer, Larry. 1994. Understanding Federalism. Vanderbilt Law Review 47: 1485–1561.
Mann, Thomas. 1918. Betrachtungen eines Unpolitischen. Berlin: S. Fischer.
Möllers, Christoph. 2009. Verfassunggebende Gewalt – Verfassung – Konstitutionalisierung. In Europäisches Verfassungsrecht, ed. Armin Bogdandy and Jürgen Bast, 227–277. Berlin: Springer.
Otto, Martin. 2021. Verwaltung in der Weimarer Republik. In Handbuch des Verwaltungsrechts: Band I Grundstrukturen des deutschen Verwaltungsrechts, ed. Wolfgang Kahl and Markus Ludwigs. Germany: C.F. Müller Heidelberg. § 3.
Pitkin, Hanna Fenichel. 1967. The Concept of Representation. Berkeley/Los Angeles: University of California Press.
Saunders, Cheryl. 2000. Administrative Law and Relations Between Governments: Australia and Europe Compared. Federal Law Review 28: 263–290.
Scharpf, Fritz W. 1994. Optionen des Föderalismus in Deutschland und Europa. Frankfurt/New York: Campus Verlag.
Schladebach, Marcus. 2007. Staatsverträge zwischen Ländern: Grundfragen eines intraföderalen Kooperationsinstruments. Verwaltungsarchiv 98: 238–226.
Schmidt-Aßmann, Eberhard, and Christoph Möllers. 2005. The Scope and Accountability of Executive Power in Germany. In The Executive and Public Law, ed. Paul Craig and Adam Tomkins, 268–289. Oxford University Press.
Unruh, von Martin. 1987. Verwaltungsgerichtsbarkeit. In Deutsche Verwaltungsgeschichte. Band 5: Die Bundesrepublik Deutschland, ed. Kurt G.A. Jeserich et al., 1178–1196. Germany: Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart.
Essential Readings
Heun, Werner. 1995. The Evolution of Federalism. In Studies in German Constitutionalism, ed. Christian Starck, 168–194. Germany: Nomos, Baden-Baden.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Goldhammer, M. (2022). Federal System of Germany. In: Cremades, J., Hermida, C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Contemporary Constitutionalism. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31739-7_208-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31739-7_208-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-31739-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-31739-7
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Law and CriminologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences