In April 2017, the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation published the study German Greens in Coalition Governments. In the study I analyze the experiences of the German Green party in state governments. Over the course of 2017 I will work on an updated second edition which will take into account recent changes in state coalitions as well as the likely formation of the so-called Jamaica coalition in Berlin and its implications for the Green Party’s internal coordination structures between the state and federal level. In addition, I am working on a new study which focuses on the impact of the Green party in environmental policy-making.

Much has changed since the launch of the German edition of German Greens in Coalition Governments in December 2016. State elections in Berlin, North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein resulted in changing coalitions. Therefore we have decided to update the study in several blog posts throughout 2017 (in German only), by focusing on the Green Votes in the Bundesrat (second chamber), the Greens’ options of different coalitions and a new generation of politicians beginning to take the lead (Landesrüne im Wandel). By the end of 2017 the blog posts will be incorporated into a second edition of the study.

Where the first study asked about ‘how’ do Greens govern?, the new study is interested in answering ‘what’ do they accomplish when in government? Protecting the environment and fighting climate change is the core DNA of Green politics. It is also the policy field in which the Greens have not only the strongest profile and expertise, but also most government responsibilities. Therefore, the upcoming study investigates how the Greens use their core competencies to implement policies for an ecologic modernization. It will do so by evaluating exisiting studies on state policy-making and by highlighting qualitative case studies on energy and transportation policies. The study will be published in 2018 and is supported by the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation. Stay tuned!

 

(This post has been updated on September 27, 2017).

Picture: © Harry Weber/gruene.de (CC BY 3.0)