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In Germany, Grand Coalitions of the two major parties - the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) and the Social Democrats (SPD) - generally have a bad reputation. Hence, the CDU/CSU-SPD government under Angela Merkel (2005-2009) was neither the parties´ nor the citizens´ preferred choice, its performance was seen quite critical from the outset, and it was finished without further ado after the 2009 federal election. Has the Grand Coalition 2005-2009 been a single episode or rather a turning point for German politics? This book provides a retrospective of the first Merkel government, an analysis of the 2009 election and an account of its prospective consequences.

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Introduction: The Grand Coalition 2005-2009 - a Single Episode or a Turning Point?; S.Bolgherini & F.Grotz PART I: THE LEGACIES OF THE GRAND COALITION New Possibilities or Permanent Gridlock? The Policies and Politics of the Grand Coalition; R.Zohlnhofer Towards a New German Federalism? How the 2006 Constitutional Reform did (not) change the Dynamics of the Federal System; J. von Blumenthal Multi-level Party Politics during the Grand Coalition: Electoral Outcomes at Lander Level; S.Bolgherini & F.Grotz Still the Driving Force of European Integration? The EU Policy Pursued by the Grand Coalition; G.Muller-Brandeck-Bocquet PART II: THE FEDERAL ELECTIONS OF SEPTEMBER 27, 2009 A Post-Modern Campaign? The Sleepy Run-up to the 2009 Federal Election; G.Bulli The Choice for Stability: The Results of the 2009 Federal Election; M.Caciagli An Electorate on the Move: Explaining Vote Choice in the 2009 Federal Election; B.Wessels PART III: THE NEW GOVERNMENT AND THE CHALLENGES AHEAD Coalition-building in Germany 2009: Simulating Real Politics, Preparing Merkel III?; S.S.Schuttemeyer A Fresh Start or More of the Same? The Domestic Policy Agenda of the Center-Right Coalition; R.Sturm The ´Grand Coalition State´ between Past and Present. Continuities and Discontinuities of a Changing Political System; G.D´Ottavio Conclusion: The Long Shadow of the Grand Coalition; F.Grotz & S.Bolgherini

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"This is an excellent collection of first-rate scholarly analyses of German politics and major domestic and EU government policies before and especially during the Grand Coalition of 2005-2009 and the chancellorship of Angela Merkel. It also covers the issues and results of the 2009 election and offers some preliminary and trenchant assessments of the new CDU/CSU-FDP coalition and the challenges faced by this surprisingly contentious combination of political "allies." Wide-ranging but thorough and informative contributions to the literature on German politics from 2005 to 2010." - Arthur B. Gunlicks, Professor of Political Science, Emeritus, University of Richmond, VA

"If you want to find out all the ins and outs, advantages and disadvantages, peculiarities and generalities, genealogies and legacies of Germany´s most recent GRAND COALITION, this is your book! In an array of insightful and informative essays, the erudite authors succeed to enlighten us about this odd, yet also quite normal, system of governance. I recommend this book to scholars of Germany, Europe and comparative politics as a whole." - Andrei S. Markovits, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and

Karl W. Deutsch Collegiate Professor of Comparative Politics and German Studies,

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

"The book gives an in-depth and authoritative assessment of the legacies of the second Grand Coalition experiment in Germany, the campaign and outcome of the federal election of 2009, and the challenges of the Christian Democratic-Liberal coalition in office since 2009. Germany after the Grand Coalition is an essential reading for everyone interested in the political mechanisms which drive present day s politics and policy in Germany." - Manfred G. Schmidt, Professor in Political Science at the University of Heidelberg

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