50 Jahre Bundesrepublik Deutschland - Kontinuität und Wandel des politischen Institutionensystems

Abstract: This paper is dedicated to the study of institutional change in the Federal Republic of Germany. Starting with a somewhat more general overview of different approaches and concepts of studying change of political institutions and institutional systems, the most important developments and different features of institutional change which have occurred in Germany over the last half-century are discussed. As will be revealed in the individual sections, there has been a considerable amountof change within and between German political institutions calling into question common judgements which see the Federal Republic as an 'island of stability' with a set of institutions largely unable to adapt to new challenges.;