Current research projects

• Current projects in the field of family studies and family policy: See  website of the Center for Marriage and Family in Society (ZFG)
• Approach – Reconciliation – Reunification. German-Polish experiences as a model for Korea? (Funding: EUR 30,000; duration: 2015–2018).
• Subsidiarity control in the political system of the European Union
  The procedure for subsidiarity control by national (and regional) parliaments introduced by the Treaty of Lisbon is intended to give greater weight to subsidiarity at the European level. As they are directly affected when EU institutions assume legislative powers, the legislatures of the member states have the greatest interest in preserving subsidiarity. In practice, however, the early warning system for subsidiarity has proven to be an ineffective control instrument. This research project compares the instruments available to national and regional parliaments in Europe for monitoring subsidiarity. The aim is to evaluate the efficiency of the various mechanisms and derive proposals for improvement. (Funding application in preparation).
• The political system of South Korea
  This textbook in the “Country Studies” series provides a concise introduction to the key characteristics and conditions that shape the Republic of Korea. It focuses in particular on the political system, but also covers the judiciary, economy, and society. Published by Wochenschau Verlag, approx. 250 pages.
• Public Safety in Federal Polities
  Project commissioned by the Forum of Federations (Ottawa/Canada, duration: 2012-2019).
• The Federal Constitutional Court. An Introduction
  Textbook on the history, functions, organization, powers, and problems of the Federal Constitutional Court of the Federal Republic of Germany. The monograph is published in the series “Studienbücher politisches System der Bundesrepublik Deutschland” (Study Books on the Political System of the Federal Republic of Germany), edited by Frank Brettschneider, Thomas Poguntke, and Suzanne Schüttemeyer. Published by Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, approx. 300 pages.

Completed research projects

• Migration and integration as transnational challenges
  This German-Korean research project, funded by the DAAD, was carried out in cooperation with Sogang University in Seoul (South Korea). It dealt with various aspects of spatial mobility and intercultural encounters in the past and present. It looked at the determining factors and conditions for the development of migration and the consequences in the countries of origin and destination. The focus was on the strategies developed by Germany and Korea in dealing with international migration. In particular, the project examined how the conditions of national policy are changing as a result of multilateral cooperation in the field of migration policy. The research project was carried out through the interdisciplinary involvement of university lecturers and early-career researchers from the participating universities. (Funding: EUR 65,000; duration: 2013-2015).
• The reunification of divided nations (Germany and Korea)
  Publication of a German-Korean anthology. Analyses and perspectives from the Republic of Korea and the Federal Republic of Germany, published in the series Kulturelle Ökonomik, Münster et al. 2010.
• The political systems in North and Latin America
  Individual descriptions of all government systems on the American continent. Book project, published by VS-Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften (2008).
• Decisions of the Federal Constitutional Court - Online database
  Register of abstract norm controls and constitutional court cases.
• The major government statements of German chancellors
  Analysis of constitutional, functional, procedural, and substantive aspects of government statements by German chancellors from Adenauer to Schröder. Habilitation project.
• The staging of a new beginning
  A comparison of inaugural speeches by heads of government in Great Britain, the USA, France, and Germany. Book project, published by VS-Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften (2004).
• Ancient and modern democracy
  Texts and commentaries on democratic theory from antiquity to the present day, in collaboration with Gregor Weber. Book project, published by Philipp Reclam, Stuttgart (2004).
• www.PolitikOn.de - Internet learning unit “Federal Constitutional Court”
  Sponsor partner for the Internet project “PolitikOn,” a cross-university project for the cooperative use of new media in political science teaching, in collaboration with the German Political Science Association (DVPW) and funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
• Cooperation or concordance? The Bundesrat
  Empirical analysis of the role of the Bundesrat in the legislative process (1949-2003).
• High Priest - Chief Warrior
  Symbolic functions of the US president. The symbolic (extra-constitutional) functions of the office of president in the conception of the founding fathers, in history and in the present.
• The opposition as a petitioner before the German Federal Constitutional Court
  The Federal Constitutional Court has gained significant importance as a supervisory body in the constitutional order of the Federal Republic of Germany. The fact that the opposition in the Bundestag tends to use this body as a means of political struggle is a logical consequence of the parliamentary system and strengthens the supervisory powers of the parliamentary minority vis-à-vis the government. The study examines the options available to the opposition for bringing cases before the highest court, the policy areas in which such “opposition lawsuits” were particularly frequent between 1951 and 1996, and how successful they were. It also examines the institutional and personal influence of the opposition over the Constitutional Court, particularly in the selection of judges. The empirical findings do not justify the conclusion that the opposition makes excessive use of the “gang nach Karlsruhe” or even abuses the court. Dissertation project.