Socio-economic change, party competition and intra-party conflict: The family policy of the Grand Coalition

German Politics

Volumn 19, Issue 3-4, 2010, Pages 416-428

  Seeleib Kaiser, Martin ^a  

^a NONE

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EID: 79956253717     PISSN: 09644008     EISSN: 17438993     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/09644008.2010.515789     Document Type: Article

References (73)

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3. See W. Korpi, 'Faces of Inequality', Social Politics 7 (2000), pp.127-91.
4. P. Bleses, 'Wenig Neues in der Familienpolitik', in A. Gohr and M. Seeleib-Kaiser (eds.), Sozial-und Wirtschaftspolitik unter Rot-Grün (Wiesbaden: Westdeutscher Verlag, 2003), pp.189-209.
5. and M. Seeleib-Kaiser, S. van Dyk and M. Roggenkamp, Party Politics and Social Welfare (Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2008).
6. For a detailed elaboration of the veto player theorem see G. Tsebelis, Veto Players. How Political Institutions Work (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2002).
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9. This section draws heavily on P. Bleses and M. Seeleib-Kaiser, The Dual Transformation of the German Welfare State (Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2004).
10. K.J. Morgan and K. Zippel, 'Paid to Care: The Origins and Effects of Care Leave Policies in Western Europe', Social Politics 10 (2003), pp.49-85.
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12. For an assessment of the distributional effects as well as labour market participation see Henninger et al., 'Demography', pp.297-300.
13. BGBL 2008, I, Nr. 57.
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15. P.A. Hall, 'Policy Paradigms, Social Learning, and the State: The Case of Economic Policymaking in Britain', Comparative Politics 25 (1993), pp.275-96.
16. Nevertheless, some policy elements supporting 'choice' remain in effect, the most important being joint taxation and the so-called splitting system-for a discussion of the tax system see I. Dingeldey, 'Familienbesteuerung in Deutschland: Kritische Bilanz und Reformperspectiven', in A. Truger (ed.), Rot-Grüne Steuerreformen in Deutschland. Eine Zwischenbilanz (Marburg: Metropolis Verlag, 2001), pp.201-27-as well as the derived healthcare benefits for non-working wives.
17. See R.G. Heinze, Die blockierte Gesellschaft (Wiesbaden: Westdeutscher Verlag, 1999).
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21. See R. Inglehart and P. Norris, 'The Developmental Theory of the Gender Gap: Women and Men's Voting Behavior in Global Perspective', International Political Science Review 21 (2000), pp.441-62.
22. and H. Kitschelt and P. Rehm, 'New Social Risk and Political Preferences', in K. Armingeon and G. Bonoli (eds), The Politics of Post-Industrial Welfare States: Adapting Post-War Social Policies to New Social Risks (London: Routledge, 2006), pp.52-82.
23. See E. Huber and J.D. Stephens, 'Combating Old and New Social Risks', in Armingeon and Bonoli (eds), Politics of Post-Industrial Welfare States, pp.143-68.
24. For a critical assessment see Korpi, 'Power Resources'.
25. See R.H. Cox, 'The Social Construction of an Imperative', World Politics 51 (2001), pp.463-98.
26. P. Bleses and M. Seeleib-Kaiser, 'Zum Wandel wohlfahrtsstaatlicher Sicherung in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland: Zwischen Lohnarbeit und Familie', Zeitschrift für Soziologie 28 (1999), pp.114-35.
27. M. Seeleib-Kaiser, 'A Dual Transformation of the German Welfare State?', West European Politics 25 (2002), pp.25-48.
28. T. Fleckenstein, A. Saunders and M. Seeleib-Kaiser, 'The Dual Transformation of Social Protection and Human Capital: Comparing Britain and Germany', Comparative Political Studies 44 (forthcoming, 2011).
29. Chancellor Gerhard Schröder famously characterised family policy as Gedöns.
30. S. Leitner, 'Die Tour de force der Gleichstellung: Zwischensprints mit Hindernissen', in A. Gohr and M. Seeleib-Kaiser (eds), Sozial-und Wirtschaftspolitik unter Rot-Grün (Wiesbaden: Westdeutscher Verlag, 2003), pp.249-64.
31. M. Ristau, 'Der ökonomische Charme der Familie', Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte 23-3 (2005), pp.16-23.
32. Nevertheless, the proposal made it into the 2005 SPD election manifesto. See SPD, Vertrauen in Deutschland. Das Wahlmanifest der SPD (Berlin: SPD, 2005).
33. 'Die Väter müssen mehr Pflichten übernehmen', Süddeutsche Zeitung, 26 July 2004, available at http:// www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/400772/text/ (accessed 17 May 2010).
34. 'Neues Elterngeld frühestens 2006', Süddeutsche Zeitung, 26 Nov. 2004, available at http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/662/ 3999446/text/ (accessed 17 May 2010).
35. interview with a senior bureaucrat in the Family Ministry, 5 Feb. 2008.
36. See U. Molitor and V. Neu, 'Das Wahlverhalten der Frauen bei der Bundestagswahl 1998', Zeitschrift für Parlamentsfragen 30 (1999), pp.252-67.
37. See T. Fleckenstein, 'The Politics of Ideas in Welfare State Transformation: The Christian Democracy and the Reform of Family Policies in Germany', unpublished manuscript, London School of Economics, 2009.
38. T. Fleckenstein, 'Party Politics and Childcare: Comparing the Expansion of Service Provision in England and Germany', Social Policy and Administration 44 (2010), pp.789-807.
39. See A. Rüling, A.-K. Jüttner and S. Leitner, 'Increasing Returns: The New Economy of Family Policy in Britain and Germany', unpublished manuscript, Cologne, 2010.
40. CDU/CSU, Deutschlands Chancen nutzen. Wachstum. Arbeit. Sicherheit. Regierungsprogramm 2005-2009 (Berlin: CDU, 2005), p.25.
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42. Koalitionsvertrag zwischen CDU, CSU und SPD, Gemeinsam für Deutschland mit Mut und Menschlichkeit (Berlin, 2005).
43. To some extent this is symbolised by the fact that she kept Malte Ristau, a political appointee of her predecessor Renate Schmidt and the key person within the Ministry to develop the approach of a 'sustainable family policy', as the key civil servant responsible for the development of family policy.
44. This framing had also already been developed by her predecessor. Interview with a senior bureaucrat in the Family Ministry, 5 Feb. 2008.
45. A search of Google Scholar demonstrates the rapid increase in the usage of the term 'Demographische Krise' within the academic community (1996-2000: 1420; 2001-05: 3830; 2006-10: 5670); the search was conducted on 22 July 2010.
46. Henninger et al., 'Demography as a Push toward Gender Equality?
47. 'Unterstützung von Experten, Gegenwind aus der CSU', Süddeutsche Zeitung, 25 April 2006, available at http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/914/402695/text (accessed 17 May 2010).
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52. Cited in 'Das "familienfreundlichste Land in Europa"', FAZ, 13 April 2005, available at http://www. faz.net (accessed 19 May 2009); author's translation.
53. BDA, Familie schafft Zukunft: familienpolitische Vorschläge der BDA (Berlin: BDA, 2006), pp.17-21.
54. T. Fleckenstein and M. Seeleib-Kaiser, 'Business, Skills and the Welfare State: The Political Economy of Employment-Oriented Family Policy in Britain and Germany', Journal of European Social Policy 20/5 (2010).
55. Michael Schlieben, 'Familienpolitik: Mehr für die Kleinen', Die Zeit, 9 Feb. 2007, available at http:// www.zeit.de/online/2007/07/leyen (accessed 24 May 2010).
56. Cited in 'Streit in CDU und CSU: Union zankt um Familienpolitik', Süddeutsche Zeitung, 15 Feb. 2007, available at http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/367/403147/text/ (accessed 17 May 2010).
57. Cited in S. Weiland, 'Union und Familienpolitik: Kinder, Karriere, Krippenplätze', SpiegelOnline, 14 Feb. 2007, available at http://spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/0,1518,466410,00.html (accessed 24 May 2010).
58. 'Bischof Mixa kritisiert Familienpolitik. "Von der Leyen degradiert Frauen zu Gebärmaschinen"', Süddeutsche Zeitung, 22 Feb. 2007, available at http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/245/400028/text/ (accessed 17 May 2010).
59. Cited in 'Familienpolitik: Von der Leyen warnt Union vor Comeback der 50er Jahre', Süddeutsche Zeitung, 22 Feb. 2007, available at http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/883/402664/text/ (accessed 17 May 2010).
60. 'Streit um Familienpolitik: Katholiken werfen Union Realitätsverlust vor', Süddeutsche Zeitung, 7 March 2007, available at http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/219/393009/text/ (accessed 17 May 2010).
61. 'Stoiber attackiert SPD-Familienpolitik', Süddeutsche Zeitung, 26 Feb. 2007, available at http://www. sueddeutsche.de/politik/380/393170/text/ (accessed 17 May 2010).
62. J. Schneider, 'Urusla von der Leyen und ihre Familienpolitik', Süddeutsche Zeitung, 12 March 2007, available at http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/32/401813/text/ (accessed 17 May 2010).
63. 'Familienpolitik: Von der Leyen kippt das Betreuungsgeld', Süddeutsche Zeitung, 25 May 2007, available at http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/127/392917/text/ (accessed 17 May 2010).
64. 'Stoiber attackiert SPD-Familienpolitik'.
65. SPD, Vertrauen in Deutschland, p.30.
66. Wolfgang Rudzio, 'Informelles Regieren-Koalitionsmanagement der Regierung Merkel', Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte 16 (14 April 2008), available at http://www.bundestag.de/dasparlament/2008/16/ Beilage/002.html (accessed 29 May 2010).
67. See G. Sydow, 'Editorial: Der Gesetzgeber ist in seiner Entscheidung frei', Neue Juristische Wochenschrift 21 (2008), available at http://rsw.beck.de/rsw/shop/default.asp?sessionid=FFCACBBB5 C304F57896FAB8610584949&toc=NJW.040308 (accessed 29 May 2010).
68. BDA, Ausbau der Kinderbetreuung richtig und überfä llig (Berlin: BDA, 2008).
69. cf. Fleckenstein and Seeleib-Kaiser, 'Business, Skills and the Welfare State'.
70. For a detailed discussion of the concept see S. Stiller, Ideational Leadership in German Welfare State Reform (Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2010).
71. Viola Neu, Bundestagswahl in Deutschland am 27. September 2009 (Berlin: Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Dec. 2009).
72. It is important to note that it is not the first time that the Christian Democrats have changed their party preferences with regard to family policy. Under the intellectual leadership of Heiner Geissler the CDU had successfully introduced the concept of 'choice' into the discourse and subsequently enacted a number of important policy changes.
73. see Bleses and Seeleib-Kaiser Dual Transformation, p.115.