ABSTRACT
Germany was praised for its effective management of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, which occurred from March to May 2020. Although Germany is a rather centralized federation, the distribution of powers in the event of a public health crisis puts most responsibility on the Lander, Germany’s constituent units. Germany’s federal system comprises the federal government and 16 constituent units, called Lander. It can be described as a prime example of cooperative and interlocking federalism, which is bolstered by a strong unitary culture and pressures for harmonization. Similar to other federations, executive federalism prevailed since parliaments, particularly on the Lander level, were side-lined for most of the pandemic. Consequently, some Lander parliaments demanded more veto powers. The pandemic revealed the importance of the Lander as providers of public policy, however, and the premiers gained importance and visibility.
