Fiscal Federalism in Germany
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Authors
Watts, Ronald L.
Hobson, Paul
Date
2000
Type
working paper
Language
en
Keyword
Watts Collection
Alternative Title
Abstract
A notable characteristic of the German federation, by comparison with the Canadian and United States federations, is the extensive constitutional and political interlocking of the federal and state governments. The federal government has a very broad range of exclusive, concurrent (with federal law prevailing) and framework legislative jurisdiction. But the Länder in turn have a mandatory constitutional responsibility for applying and administering most of these federal laws. While the legislative powers of the federal government are much more extensive than in Canada or the United States, another significant feature of the German federation is that the Länder are more directly involved in decision-making at the federal level than the states or provinces in virtually any other federation. This is achieved through the constitutional requirement that the second chamber, the Bundesrat, is composed of Land first ministers and senior ministers serving as ex officio delegates of their Land governments. The Bundesrat possesses an absolute veto on all federal legislation affecting the Länder. In practice about 60 percent of federal legislation falls in this category and therefore the voice of the Länder through the Bundesrat is highly influential in federal policy-making. Thus, the Bundesrat is a key institution in the interlocking federal state relationship and the extensive joint decisionmaking that occurs within the German federation including those on financial interrelationships.
Description
Citation
Publisher
Queen's University Institute of Intergovernmental Relations