Specialist area profile

Democracy and crisis are increasingly being mentioned in the same breath. Why is it that political dissatisfaction is growing and the established players in the political system, especially the mainstream parties, are coming under such pressure that their existence is at stake? Why are populist forces gaining ground? The political system has a history that stretches far back into the 19th century. However, it is characterized to a particularly strong degree by the departure from German fascism. However, this is becoming less influential, while developments associated with globalization, Europeanization and digitalization are gaining in importance. The teaching and research activities of the Department of Political System of the Federal Republic of Germany - Statehood in Transition focus on the conditions, developments and perspectives of democracy in the interplay between ideas, interests and institutions.

The diverse areas covered in the political and socio-economic system of the Federal Republic of Germany and the federal state of Hesse, such as organizations, institutions, administrations, but also historical and cultural foundations, are listed as in-depth accents in various examination regulations. To this end, the department offers a continuous range of courses which, in addition to the basic introductory courses, provides a broad repertoire of in-depth courses. Not only do the employees at the department contribute to this with their courses, but also the teaching assignments acquired from proven experts from academia and practice.

The profile of the department is reflected in the research activities of its employees and the successful acquisition of third-party funding. The projects deal with the areas of the welfare state, transformation of the world of work, industrial relations/collective bargaining policy, digitalization and right-wing populism/civil society. Most recently, studies have been carried out on the development, presence and conflicts of right-wing populist activities in organized civil society spaces, welfare associations in the digital age, strategies of collective action in the care sector, new attempts at strategic membership recruitment by trade unions and the importance of preventive social policies in the federal states. These projects were successfully completed and produced not only highly regarded research reports but also dissertations. There were also smaller projects on topics such as interest representation/lobbying by professional trade unions and actor perspectives on regulatory requirements in the platform economy. Current and planned projects deal, among other things, with reporting on the world of work in Hesse, the development of co-determination, but also right-wing populist tendencies in the workplace, the sector-specific constellation of pension arrangements as well as the representation of interests and the development of working conditions in (elderly) care.