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.
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Essential Readings
Heun, Werner. 1995. The Evolution of Federalism. In Studies in German Constitutionalism, ed. Christian Starck, 168–194. Germany: Nomos, Baden-Baden.
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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
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