Parliamentary Party Groups (PPGs) are the engines of parliamentary democracy. In a new article, I describe five steps to reach an enlightened understanding of their role in the political process. Find it here: Sven T. Siefken, Fraktionen im politischen Prozess. Fünf Schritte zum Verständnis des Motors der parlamentarischen Demokratie in Deutschland. In: Zeitschrift für Parlamentsfragen,…
A glimpse behind the curtains of power politics: Peter Altmaier, the former Federal Minister of the Economy and former Head of the Chancellery will join Sven T. Siefken at the Federal University of Applied Administrative Sciences to discuss his experience in government leadership. The event is open to the public, more details are available in…
The Research Committee of Legislative Specialists holds the next Online Seminar on March 18. Maya Kornberg will present central findings of her new book “Stuck. How Money, Media and Violence Prevent Change in Congress”. Anne Marie Cammisa of Georgetown University will provide comments. Please register for the event here.
It was a memorable day in the Berlin politics, because following long political discussions, two central bills were passed by the coalition: changes to the pension system and the military draft. Students of Colorado College visited the German Bundestag. After an academic introduction to parliamentary government in Germany by Sven T. Siefken, the group had…
It was a bumpy path to the new government in Germany after the collapse of the previous one. Established routines helped to get it done: After the Bundestag election in early 2025, it took 72 days untill the new Chancellor was in office. Over 270 politicians from all levels of Federal, state and local politics…
The Research Committee of Legislative Specialists met with the Speaker of the National Assembly of Korea, Woo Won-shik, to discuss current affairs and the role of parliament in the recent coup attempt in the country.
The International Political Science Association is holding its 28th World Congress in Seoul from July 12 to 16, 2025. The Congress was opened with a keynote addressed by the President of the Republic. In the Congress, Sven T. Siefken co-organized the panels of the Research Committee of Legislative Specialist, presents the ongoing research project on…
How are conflicts within coalitions coordinated in the German policy-making process? Sven T. Siefken discussed findings from current research on the processes in the German polity, formal and informal institutions and the relevance of political actor behavior. The presentation was given in the 2025 Conference of the DAAD Centers for German and European Studies. It…
Discussing deficits, challenges and solutions in parliamentary representation by the Bundestag – with MP Hanna Steinmüller and Konstantin Kuhle. Broadcast on the German public radio station on March 28 in Deutschlandfunk Kultur and also available online https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/hat-der-bundestag-eine-repraesentationsluecke-100.html – tune in! And read more here: https://doi.org/10.3224/gwp.v70i2.11
In a Workshop organized by the Netzwerk Organisationsverfassung, Sven T. Siefken presented the the cartography of legislation; identifying veto points, discussing the numerous veto points and the role of the Chancellery in coordination and strategic management.
On March 13, 2025, the Bundestag gathers for a special session to hold the first reading of bills that will amend the constitution. The goal is to allow for military spending unlimited by the constitutional debt brake. On top, a special debt program of 500 billion Euro for infrastructure spending is planned. These far-ranging decisions…
The Korean Parliament and Emergency Power Abuse: How did Parliament hold up in the recent crisis? Could it push back against the President? What instruments were used, which ones were missing? What can we learn? Professor Jeong-In Yun, constitutional scholar at Korea University, have us an introductory analysis, and then there was plenty of time…
In the pre-negotiation talks for coalition formation, CDU/CSU and SPD decided on far ranging plans to invest in infrastructure and military spending. This happens with the background of an announced reduction in international support by the United States. To make this spending increase possible, the German Constitution with its mandatory debt brake has to be…
After the 2025 Bundestag election, the right-populist party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) and the socialist “Die Linke” jointly will have 34 percent of the seats in the Bundestag. This gives them the opportunity to block certain activities that require a 2/3 majority: Changes to the constitution, the election of constitutional court judges. In an interview…
Culminating in contested plenary debates in late January 2025, conflict has become stronger and more visible in the German Bundestag. In a new article published in PS: Political Science & Politics, Sven T. Siefken tracks how the heat has gone up over the past years in the German Parliament. You can find the full text…
The Institute for Parliamentary Research and the German Association for Parliamentary Affairs held a workshop on Parliamentary Party Groups. It brought together academic experts on the topic from political science and constitutional law with parliamentary practitioners to discuss the state of knowledge and future perspectives. Sven T. Siefken spoke on the role of PPGs in…
Starting a new research project „Studying Parliaments and the Role of Knowledge“, Marc Geddes and his team brought together international experts working on the topic. Sven T. Siefken gave a presentation on how the entire legislative process – from idea to law – must be understood for analyzing the avenues of knowledge influence and creation….
The international collaboration Parliaments in the Pandemic held its sixth academic workshop, this time in Kiel at the new offices of the Foundation Science and Democracy. Results of the project will be published in an edited volume soon. Workshop participants also met with practitioners of the state parliament of Schleswig-Holstein to discuss their experience in…
Determinants and Consequences Over the past years, visible conflicts in the German Bundestag have grown. This is dues to various political developments, policy decisions and strategic choices of poltical actors. Sven T. Siefken discusses these determinants and their consequences in the latest edition of the journal “INDES”, available here: https://indes-online.de/konflikte-im-hohen-haus
75 years ago, today, the first German Bundestag held opening meeting. Over the decades, the Bundestag has developed into one of the strongest parliaments in the world. On the occasion of the Bundestag Birthday, Sven T. Siefken spoke with Radio Bremen 2 about the developments in the past and the challenges ahead. A recording of…
In a surprise move, French President Emmanuel Macron has called new parliamentary elections. Join us for a discussion with expert Dr. Calixte Bloquet about reasons, dynamics and possible consequences. Hosted by IPSA’s Research Committee of Legislative Specialist (RC08), moderated by Sven T. Siefken, June 28 (9 AM New York, 3 PM Paris). Here is a…
The Parliament of Austria organized the Day of Parliamentary Research that brought together academics with practitioners and journalists to discuss curret insights and perspectives on parliaments. Sven T. Siefken held a presentation on the early stages of bill drafting and led a panel on “democratic resilience”. More about the event can be found here. The…
Having conducted a thorough literature review, analyzed legal documents and interviewed numerous parliamentary practitioners, the interdisciplinary team held a first workshop on the „Cartography of the Legislative Process“. Held in Berlin, the workshop brought together practitioners from the German Bundestag and the Ministry of Justice with academics and designers. The goal of the project is…
An ongoing cooperation of political scientists and designers is mapping the legislative process, from first ideas to the promulgation of laws. The special focus is on integrating both formal and informal components. Sven T. Siefken presented and discussed findings of this ongoing research project at the brown bag seminar of the University of Applied Administrative…
The Federal Ministry of the Interior is organizing a training course on the resilience of democracy. It brings academics into exchange and discussion with staff of the German Federal administration. Sven T. Siefken discussed the topic of parliaments in crises. Building on definitions of crises and the role of parliaments in the political systems, Siefken…
The German Bundestag is welcoming the new group of participants in the International Parliamentary Stipend Program, 96 participants from 42 countries around the globe. Sven T. Siefken held the opening lecture and discussion on politics in the parliamentary democracy. More on the IPS here https://www.bundestag.de/ips
The State Parliament and the State Government of Schleswig-Holstein brought together 400 citizens and experts to review the experience of the Covid crisis. A symposium, held a the State Parliament in Kiel, investigated the various societal sectors that were affected. Sven T. Siefken served as moderator of the discussion on „State and Law“. A recording…
In its latest issue, Choices, the Cologne magazine of culture, focuses on current developments of democracy. In an interview, Sven T. Siefken discusses current developments and challenges – and emphasizes the need for everyone to get in touch and be active. The interview is available in the printed magazine and online
”Hallo Bundestag” is an initiative that organizes mini publics in MP districts around Germany. Sven T. Siefken has been supporting the project as a core member of the academic advisory council. More about “Hallo Bundestag” is available here
A group of students from Colorado College visited the Bundestag to discuss German politics with an MP and staffers working for MPs from different parties. Sven T. Siefken, guest professor at CC since 2019, organized the event, moderated the meetings and held an introductory lecture on parliamentary politics in Germany. More about Colorado College here…
The international collaboration on Parliaments in the Pandemic (PiP) convened for its fifth academic workshop in Prague. It was the first in-person meeting since PiP was established in 2020 in the middle of the Covid pandemic. Based on a unique country expert panel study, PiP is a comprehensive study of what happened to parliaments around…
Graphic descriptions of the legislative process usually focus on what is going on “in” parliament – while neglecting the preparliamentary phases of bill preparation. But there is a lot of coordination, negotiation and public engagement happening in this less formalized phase. Bringing together the special skills of designers (with an interest in politics) and political…
Coalition negotiations play a key role in government formation, but they have not been analyzed much in detail. In Germany, the past decades have seen an ongoing differentiation of their organization, leading to a complex multi-level negotiation structure with a policy-oriented division of labor. Studying the working group on health policy in the coalition negotiations…
Engaging the public in the work of parliament has been long practiced. To be in close exchange with the people is indeed a precondition for a successful parliament. In recent years, instruments and processes have been developed, tested and compared that institutionalize engagement. A special issues of the Journal of Legislative Studies looks at thoses…
Simulation games are an innovative way for teaching the logic and dynamics of the political process. Sven T. Siefken and a group of students from different universities participated in the parliamentary simulation that is run by the German Bundestag, going through the parliamentary phases of how a bill becomes a law. More on the simulation…
McGill University in Montreal, Canada, has run an exciting program for new MPs and staff from around the globe. Sven T. Siefken spoke on current political challenges to the German Bundestag, discussing the tension between MPs’ policy specialization versus societal outreach? The presentation gave an overview about how the Bundestag, one of the strongest parliaments…
The German association for parliamentary affairs (DVParl) held an inspiring meeting and academic discussion in the Bundestag on the changes and challenges for parliamentary communication in times of digital media. More can be found here https://dvparl.de
Based on data compiled for the Global Parliamentary Report, Maya Kornberg and Sven T. Siefken study the role of committee hearings for public engagement by parliaments. They discuss how hearings have evolved and which mechanisms are in use and how new approaches change the practices, for example through digital hearings or field hearings. The article…
The Bundestag has been been running the international scholarship program for young professionals from various parts of the world. Sven T. Siefken delivered an opening presentation on „politics in a parliamentary democracy“ and led the discussion for the 2023 class of participants from various Arabic countries: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Tunisia, Bahrain, Algeria, Iraqi. More…
Parliaments fullfill a key function in political system of linking society and the political system. The new article by Cristina Leston-Bandeira and Sven T. Siefken explores changes and continuity in how parliaments fulfill engagement, which actors are doing it and what it entails. The article is available open access: Cristina Leston-Bandeira/ Sven T. Siefken (2023):…
The initiative “Es geht Los” held a public event at the Humboldt University to present the findings and results of the first six mini public that were organized across Germany in the MP districts. Sven T. Siefken serves on the advisory board of this initiative. More information about the event here and more about the…
The edited volume on Parliamentary Committees in the Policy Process, edited by Sven T. Siefken and Hilmar Rommetvedt, is now available in paperback. It brings together parliamentary experts from around the world to report on the state of knowledge about what is going on in committees and how relevant they really are. More here https://www.routledge.com/Parliamentary-Committees-in-the-Policy-Process/Siefken-Rommetvedt/p/book/9780367617950
Speaking truth to power? Or just symbolizing it? Sharing thoughts on the changing role of expertise in policy making – and how it relates to Parliament, Sven T. Siefken spoke at the International Commission of Jurists, held in the Bundestag. More here
The American-German Institute (formerly AICGS) hosted a webinar on the ongoing reform of the electoral law in Germany. Boris Herrmann (Süddeutsche Zeitung) and Sven Siefken discussed the details, background and perspectives with Eric Langenbacher (AGI). More here …
The initiative “Hallo Bundestag” is running mini publics in MP districts – an innovative approach to combine elements of deliberative and representative democracy. Sven T. Siefken is supporting and advising the initiative that is financed by the Robert Bosch foundation, the ZEIT foundation, the Open Society Foundations and the Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung. More about…
In March 2023, the Institute for Parliamentary Research held the first IParl Academy for graduate students. As part of the program, Sven T. Siefken discussed with participants what roles parliaments had in crises and how crises are dealt with in parliaments. You can find more about the IParl Academy here https://www.iparl.de/de/forschung/iparl-akademie.html
„Parliaments in Crises – Crises in Parliaments“ was the title of an international workshop held in Taipei, Taiwan in February 2023. Sven T. Siefken jointly organized the academic program and presented a paper on how parliaments and crises are related.
In its 2023 workshop, the leadership of the parliamentary administration of the Houses of the Oireachtas discussed with Sven T. Siefken what can be learned from the pandemic situation for their own work in future crises – and in „normal“ situations, too
The Research Committees 08 (Legislative Specialists) and 13 (Democratization in Comparative Perspective) of the International Political Science Association jointly set up a conference within the Southern Political Science Association‘s Annual Conference, held January 11 to 14, 2023 at St Pete Beach in Florida. Conference organizers Irina Khmelko (University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, USA), Adam Szymański (University…
The European Parliament has been active in supporting and strengthening parliaments around the globe. Looking back at 10 years of activities, the EP Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group organized a high-level-conference in Brussels to discuss experiences and the way forward, November 29 to 30, 2022. Sven T. Siefken participated as an academic commentator. More…