Ben Seyd
Can policymakers expect people to comply with official health restrictions out of fear rather than because they trust the government? Ben Seyd suggests the answer is no. Governments still need trust to motivate citizens to comply with important collective rules. Read more
Hager Ali
Years of austerity has stifled Germany’s army, the Bundeswehr, but Hager Ali argues that money is the least of it. Salvaging the Bundeswehr means reconfiguring German military professionalism – and fixing its relations with the public Read more
Adrian Kreutz
The people of Berlin recently voted to expropriate property-owning companies and bring them back under public ownership. However, argues Adrian Kreutz, while the people have insisted on their right to housing, implementation of the referendum result remains uncertain Read more
Femke van Esch
After sixteen years at the helm, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is leaving office. While political observers often predicted her demise, at the end of her fourth term Merkel is at the height of her popularity. Using the Leadership Capital Index, Femke van Esch explains why Read more
Manès Weisskircher
Alternative für Deutschland is not expected to make gains at this Sunday’s general election in Germany, yet it is essential to scrutinise the party’s strongholds, writes Manès Weisskircher. AfD’s strength in the east is not just relevant for the party's future. It may also shape German politics in the medium term Read more
Gabriele Beretta
The CDU is facing its first post-Merkel electoral campaign, and the SPD is struggling to gain more than a 15% vote share. The Greens, meanwhile, are the second largest party in Germany. The impact of their results on the new German government may be the Eurozone’s most important political development of 2021. Gabriele Beretta argues that this could also have dramatic macroeconomic consequences for the Euro Area Read more
Isabelle Hertner
Germany has developed into a hugely diverse country, but Angela Merkel’s centre-right CDU is still grappling with this reality, writes Isabelle Hertner. Over Merkel's 16-year Chancellorship, her party has been torn between pragmatic immigration policy, and the demand for cultural assimilation Read more
Vicente Valentim
Do radical-right parties render political debate more negative?Recent studies indicate they might. But Tobias Widmann and Vicente Valentim show this is not true in Germany, where political discourse among mainstream parties becomes more positive when confronted with rhetoric from radical-right challengers Read more
