LEI_F_04 How the Grundgesetz Policy Aim of Providing Equal Living Conditions is Perceived and Politically Negotiated in German States and Municipalities: Politicians’ Responsiveness, Dialogue, and Changing Constitutional Arrangements

Objectives/ Research Questions

This project makes a (1) conceptual-theoretical, (2) empirical-analytical (with social cohesion as a dependent variable), and (3) regionally comparative contribution to the RISC research programme. It cooperates particularly closely with the Leipzig project LEI_F_05: Public Services and Equal Living Conditions.

The project is based on the assumption that the changed context conditions of policy-making has resulted in new societal demands vis-à-vis the state and have made previous political-institutional arrangements unstable, a situation that endangers social cohesion. Against this background, the project aims to find out empirically how responsive local and regional political actors in Germany are to societal expectations with regard to equal living conditions, an official policy aim formulated by the federal Grundgesetz. It further seeks to investigate how citizen assemblies and public dialogues work to find solutions for possible inconsistencies between societal demands and the policy output. Based on the research findings, policy recommendations shall be developed. The following four work packages serve this purpose.

1) In the first package, focus group interviews are used to examine the relevance citizens attach to the Grundgesetz goal of providing equal living conditions in relation to other policy issues and to determine the meaning, evaluation parameters, and political arguments that they associate with it in terms of social cohesion. Do they assess the quality of living conditions, for example, with regard to the distribution of public or individual goods, in relation to West/East, rich/poor, and past/present conditions? How is the thematization linked to other issues (local problems, “cultural alienation”, hostility vis-à-vis elites, or similar issues)? This will be examined comparatively in partially structured moderated group interviews. They will be conducted in four German states (two in the West and two in the East), each with two relatively similar socioeconomic, settlement, and electoral profiles. Interviews will be conducted in rural and urban areas. The data will be analysed with MAXQDA.

2) In the second package, a MAXQDA-supported document analysis for the period 2015 to 2021 is used to analyse the responsiveness of political decision-makers to public perceptions of living conditions: Have the issues been subjects of the elected district and state representatives in the cases mentioned? Does the thematization correspond to the patterns observed in society? What preferences did which actors have, and what are the main political conflicts? Are there attempts to modify constitutional arrangements with regard to equal living conditions and the distribution of public goods? The structure of the period under study makes it possible to observe different legislative periods and changes over time.

3) The findings of the study will be presented for discussion at international conferences and in RISC’s own international research network and will be presented and discussed in dialogue events with citizens and politicians in the regions under study. On the one hand, feedback is obtained on the interpretation of the data, which is important for the scientific quality of the study and is included in the evaluation. On the other hand, in cooperation with the project HAN_F_05: Researching Transfer – Shaping Transfer: Evidence-Based Knowledge Transfer as a Contribution to Social Cohesion, by means of before-and-after surveys and participatory observation, it will investigate the extent to which dialogue has an effect on the respective views of politicians and citizens on equal living conditions. Are such events suitable for promoting societal demands and the acceptance of certain positions? This will be compared for different types of dialogue formats.

4) In a final step, policy recommendations will be derived from the project findings. These focus on the responsiveness of elected politicians and the possible need for new constitutional arrangements. In addition, in cooperation with the project HAN_F_05, proposals for policy mediation via dialogue events will be formulated, which can also be used in civic education. These will be discussed within RISC, especially within Cluster 2.

Thematic relation to social cohesion

The equivalence of living conditions is a constitutional mandate and a central state policy goal in the Federal Republic of Germany. Therefore, in line with the heuristic framework of the FGZ (Research Association on Public Goods and Commons), we assume that the equivalence of living conditions and the responsiveness of politics to societal perceptions of equitable living conditions are crucial for societal cohesion. However, the research design is structured to capture the influence of other factors as well. The empirical focus is deliberately placed on the local and regional level, where political actions directly manifest among the people and where many federal policies are ultimately implemented.

Disparities in living conditions, particularly in access to public services, determine material and perceived quality of life. Inequalities across the federal territory, the recurring complaint of state withdrawal from certain regions, the neglect of public (especially municipal) infrastructure, and the partial privatization of state service provision all pose potential sources for divergence among individuals and societal groups. Simultaneously, demographic change and the massive outmigration of people from rural areas to cities create distinct problem situations on-site (e.g., vacant properties or housing shortages) that cannot be resolved uniformly. Since the precise connections between political regulation and the perception of equitable living conditions in the population are often incomplete or entirely unknown, in-depth research within the research network "Public Goods" (see below) promises profound analytical insights and multiple transfer approaches. Close connections exist to spatial science, sociology, and political science contexts.

Group discussion Living Conditions