Do Parties Matter in the German Länder? Theoretical and Practical Challenges, Past Attempts at Exploration, and a New Approach

Abstract

Having set the scene for examination of the impact of political parties at the sub-national level, this chapter discusses the specifics of the German case. It examines previous studies of German federalism, identifying gaps in that research, explains the rationale for case selection, and spells out clear hypotheses and counter-hypotheses which are investigated in subsequent chapters.