ABSTRACT
It is an almost unchallenged finding of German political science that federalism in Germany is incapable of radical change. The numerous publications which support this argument refer to historical institutionalism as the most suitable theoretical context for an explanation of the relative stability of German federalism over time. Gerhard Lehmbruch’s historical approach to federalism is representative of his kind of research (see for example Lehmbruch 2002). In line with historical institutionalist interpretations which have been used by social scientists in other contexts (Pierson 2004), Lehmbruch assumes that the development of Germany’s federalism is path dependent.
