A National Challenge at the Local Level: Citizens, Elites and Institutions in Reunified Germany (Routledge Revivals)

This title was first published in 2003. This insightful book examines how the challenge of reunification has been met at the local level in Germany. In doing so, it clarifies a number of central issues about the governance process in modern democratic political systems under strain. A National Challenge at the Local Level first describes who governs and how they govern at the local level. It then reveals the principal underlying political values of both elites and citizens and describes the ways in which they differ. It provides a rational explanation for the differences in these political values, particularly between the two major regions of Germany. Finally, it reveals the basis for the differences in how well local governments perform.

Thomas R. Cusack is a Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Working Group on Institutions, States, and Markets at the Social Science Center Berlin. His research and publications have dealt with a wide number of topics in comparative politics and international relations.