Aktuelles

Marsilius Fellowship for Reimut Zohlnhöfer
Reimut Zohlnhöfer was awarded a Marsilius Fellowship for 2020/21. He will work on an interdisciplinary project about societal compliance in times of polarization with Prof. Peter Kirsch (psychology) and Prof. Hanno Kube (Law).

Pierson’s „Dismantling the Welfare State?“ After 25 Years
Dismantling the Welfare State?, published 25 years ago, is a modern classic in the welfare state literature. Is there still something we can learn from Paul Pierson’s seminal book? Carsten Jensen, Georg Wenzelburger and Reimut Zohlnhöfer, in a new paper that just came out in the Journal of European Social Policy, suggest that the book indeed is worth a re-read. Check out more here.

Fabian Engler has completed his dissertation project, titled ‘Political Parties and Public Policies between Ideology and Voter Preferences’, and has been awarded Dr. rer. pol. by the University of Bremen.

Research project on „The Transformation of Economic Intervention in Advanced Democracies” funded by German Research Foundation
The German Research Foundation (DFG) will fund Reimut Zohlnhöfer’s research project on „The Transformation of Economic Intervention in Advanced Democracies” for the next three years. For more information, click here

Best Teaching Award 2019
Reimut Zohlnhöfer was awarded the Best Teaching Award 2019 at the Institute of Political Science - again!

EJPR Forum Section on Multiple Streams Framework
Issue 3/2015 of the European Journal of Political Research includes a forum section on the Multiple Streams Framework, edited by Reimut Zohlnhöfer and Friedbert Rüb. You find more information here.

New Article in JEPP
A new paper by Fabian Engler and Reimut Zohlnhöfer that has just been publishd in the Journal of European Public Policy investigates the effects of the recent changes in left parties’ voter base, from predominantly working-class to middle-class voters. According to classic partisan theory these changes should have resulted in changing policy positions and policy effects of left parties. We test this expectation for economic policies (i.e. subsidies, product market regulation, and privatization) in 16 European countries between 1980 and 2012. We find the expected relationships for subsidies but not for regulation and privatization. This can be explained by the fact that only with regard to subsidies, preferences substantially differ between the working- and the middle-class. Thus, economic policy preferences of voters of left parties diverge less than could be expected. Methodologically, the study suggests that empirically testing the complete causal mechanism of classic partisan theory, assessing voters’ preferences and investigating more than one issue area, are promising ways to study partisan effects on public policies. Find the article here.

Special Issue on the third Merkel government published.
A special issue on the politics and policies or the third government under Angela Merkel (2013-2017), edited by Reimut Zohlnhöfer and Thomas Saalfeld, has just come out. Check it out here.

Edited volume on the third Merkel Government
Together with Prof. Thomas Saalfeld (Bamberg University), Reimut Zohlnhöfer has edited a volume that takes stock of the policies and politics of the most recent German government, the Grand coalition under Chancellor Angela Merkel (2013-2017). The 27 German language chapters analyze all relevant policies from migration to fiscal policy and from the welfare state to European integration. Moreover, in other chapters, party strategies, electoral competition, interest groups, the Federal Constitutional Court, political leadership and coalition governance are investigated. The book is already published electronically with SpingerLink   and will be available as a hard copy very soon. Moreover, for English language readers, some of the chapters will be included in a special issue of the journal German Politics. Some of these papers are also already available at the journal’s homepage.

New Paper in Political Behavior
A new paper on “Policy and Blame Attribution: Citizens' Preferences, Policy Reputations, and Policy Surprises”, written by Raanan  Sulitzeanu-Kenan (Hebrew University, Jerusalem) and Reimut Zohlnhöfer, has just been published in Political Behavior. Check out details here.

New Article in Socio-Economic Review
A paper written by Carina Schmitt (Bremen University) and Reimut Zohlnhöfer has just been publish by Socio-Economic Review which looks at partisan differences in four fields of government intervention in the economy, namely social spending, subsidies, product market regulation (PMR) and business taxation. We find that partisan differences only really make themselves felt after about one term in office. Moreover, with the exception of PMR, partisan differences tend to become more pronounced as globalization increases while European integration does not condition partisan effects. The conditioning effect of domestic economic problems on partisan differences depends on a policy instrument’s salience. In highly salient issue areas (social expenditure, corporate taxation), we only find partisan differences when problems are low; in contrast, economic problems emphasize partisan differences in non-salient issue areas (PMR, subsidies). You find the paper here

Section on Policy Process Theories at ECPR General Conference in Hamburg 2018
Together with Daniel Nohrstedt (Uppsala) and Vilém Novotny (Prague), Reimut Zohlnhöfer has proposed a section for the next ECPR General Conference in Hamburg. The section on “Advancing Frontiers in Policy Process Research: Integrating Theory and Empirical Inquiry” has recently been accepted and paper and panel proposals are highly welcome. Find more information here

Theories of the Policy Process (4th edition)
The fourth edition of the state-of-the-art volume on “Theories of the Policy Process”, edited by Christopher M. Weible and Paul A. Sabatier, has just come out with Westview Press. It includes a chapter on the Multiple Streams Framework that has been completely re-written compared with earlier editions and summarizes all the exciting new developments in MSF scholarship that have recently been put forward. The chapter is written by Nicole Herweg and Reimut Zohlnhöfer together with Nikolaos Zahariadis (Rhodes College, Memphis, TN).

New Book on European Union Policy-Making
Palgrave Macmillan has just published Nicole Herweg's book on the regulatory shift in EU natural gas market policy. The book offers a theoretical advancement of the multiple streams framework by adapting it to European Union agenda-setting and decision-making and by deriving a set of explicit hypotheses. It analyses the timing, agenda prominence, and policy change (or a lack thereof) for the EU natural gas directives passed in 1998, 2003, and 2009. For more information, click here

Literature Review on the Interventionist State in the British Journal of Political Science
Why have advanced democracies experienced a retreat of the interventionist state since 1980? An article written by Reimut Zohlnhöfer, Fabian Engler and Kathrin Dümig which has just been published in the British Journal of Political Science provides evidence that in all relevant policy indicators (spending, subsidies, state-owned enterprises, regulation, capital taxation) government intervention has been scaled back across the OECD. An overview of the results of 130 quantitative studies analyzing at least one of these indicators is provided. Focusing on five main explanatory variables – globalization, Europeanization, learning and emulation, socio-economic problems, and political parties – only limited agreement in the literature is found. The reasons for this disagreement are discussed. Ways forward are suggested for the theoretical models on which studies are based, how the dependent variable is chosen, the empirical approaches that may be applied, and how quantitative research and comparative case studies may be combined. Find the FirstView version of the article here

New Article on Political Parties and MPs‘ Morality Policy Voting Behaviour
Fabian Engler and Kathrin Dümig have investigated the impact of party membership on MPs’ morality policy voting, exploring free votes on abortion, stem-cell research, and euthanasia in Germany after 1990. The article is to be published in Parliamentary Affairs. The Advance Access version is available here

New edited volume on the Multiple Streams Framework
A volume, co-edited by Reimut Zohlnhöfer and Friedbert Rüb, has just been published by the ECPR Press that seeks to explore the Multiple Streams Framework’s analytical potential both theoretically and empirically. The empirical applications use the framework in different national contexts, including Germany, Greece, Spain, Sweden, the UK, the US and the EU, and in varying policy areas, including economic policy, environmental policy, foreign policy, labor market policy, health care, the liberalization of the gas market and tobacco regulation. For more information, click here

New Paper on Multiple Streams Framework and German Labor Market Reforms published in Policy Studies Journal
Reimut Zohlnhöfer has applied the Multiple Streams Framework, modified by Herweg, Huß and Zohlnhöfer’s recent EJPR paper, to explain the Hartz IV reform, the most important labor market reform in recent German history. The paper is to be published in the Policy Studies Journal in 2016 and is already available as an online-first version here.

EJPR Forum Section on Multiple Streams Framework
Issue 3/2015 of the European Journal of Political Research includes a forum section on the Multiple Streams Framework, edited by Reimut Zohlnhöfer and Friedbert Rüb. You find more information here.

Handbuch Policy-Forschung erschienen
Das von Reimut Zohlnhöfer gemeinsam mit Georg Wenzelburger herausgegebene Handbuch Policy-Forschung ist im März 2015 bei Springer VS erschienen. Auf 750 Seiten finden sich 28 von führenden Vertretern der deutsch- sprachigen Policy-Forschung verfasste Kapitel zu den wichtigsten Theorien und Methoden der Politikfeldanalyse sowie zum Forschungsstand zu den wichtigsten Politikfeldern.

Politik im Zeichen der Krise – Bilanzen der zweiten Regierung Merkel
Ein von Reimut Zohlnhöfer und Thomas Saalfeld herausgege- bener Sammelband, der im Dezember 2014 bei Springer VS erscheint, zieht auf knapp 650 Seiten eine umfassende Bilanz der schwarz-gelben Regierung. Sowohl die Entwicklung von Politikfeldern als auch die Dynamik des Parteienwett-bewerbs und des Institutionen-systems zwischen 2009 und 2013 werden ausführlich dargestellt und analysiert.

Eine ausführliche Presseerklärung zu dem Buch finden Sie hier.

Zudem erscheint am Ende des Jahres ein ebenfalls von Thomas Saalfeld und Reimut Zohlnhöfer herausgegebenes Special Issue der Zeitschrift German Politics zum Thema „The Merkel Government and the German Election of 2013“.

Developments in German Politics 4 erschienen
Gemeinsam mit Stephen Padgett und William E. Paterson hat Reimut Zohlnhöfer die 4. Auflage der Developments in German Politics herausgegeben. Der Band erscheint im Juli 2014 bei Palgrave und enthält 14 von führenden internationalen Deutschland-Forschern geschriebene Kapitel zu den wichtigsten Fragen deutscher Politik – von der Reform des Föderalismus bis zur Migrationspolitik, von der Eurokrise bis zum Wahlverhalten.

„Große Koalitionen besser als ihr Ruf“
Im Wahlblog der Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung ist ein Interview mit Reimut Zohlnhöfer über das Regieren in Großen Koalition erschienen. Das Interview finden Sie hier.

Symposium zur Validität von Lohnersatzraten in JEPP
Im Heft 9/2013 des Journal of European Public Policy ist ein von Reimut Zohlnhöfer, Georg Wenzelburger und Frieder Wolf herausgegebenes Symposium zum Thema „The validity problem in measuring welfare state genorsity” erschienen. Neben einem Beitrag der Herausgeber umfasst das Symposium Aufsätze von Lyle Scruggs, Tommy Ferrarini, Kenneth Nelson, Walter Korpi & Joakim Palme sowie Benjamin Danforth & John D. Stephens.

Fritz Thyssen Preis für sozialwissenschaftliche Aufsätze
Der Artikel von Reimut Zohlnhöfer, Frieder Wolf und Georg Wenzelburger „Parteien und die Generosität der Altersrenten in Zeiten permanenter Austerität“, erschienen in der Swiss Political Science Review 2012, wurde mit dem 1. Preis des Fritz Thyssen Preises für sozialwissenschaftliche Aufsätze ausgezeichnet.

Neuer Aufsatz zu Privatisierungspolitik in Comparative Political Studies
Der Aufsatz „Partisan Politics and Privatization in OECD Countries” von Herbert Obinger, Carina Schmitt und Reimut Zohlnhöfer ist als OnlineFirst-Version von Comparative Political Studies erschienen und kann von der CPS-Homepage heruntergeladen werden. Die Printfassung folgt vermutlich in Heft 1/2015.

Artikel ausgezeichnet!
Der Aufsatz „Parteien und die Generosität der Altersrenten in Zeiten permanenter Austerität“ von Reimut Zohlnhöfer, Frieder Wolf und Georg Wenzelburger, erschienen in Heft 1/2012 der Swiss Political Science Review, ist für die Publikation in der World Political Science Review vorgeschlagen worden.

Neues Forschungsprojekt: Political Expectations and Responsibility Attribution
Gemeinsam mit Raanan Sulitzeanu-Kenan (Hebrew University, Jerusalem) hat Reimut Zohlnhöfer ein neues Forschungsprojekt aufgenommen, das mithilfe von Experimenten der Beziehung zwischen politischen Erwartungen und der Zuweisung von Verantwortung für gescheiterte Policies an politische Akteure auf die Spur kommen soll. Das Projekt wird durch den Innovationsfonds Frontier der Universität Heidelberg finanziell unterstützt. Details