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Completed research programsCivil Society and Transnational Networks

Completed research programs

Research Unit: Civil Society and Transnational Networks





WZB Discussion Paper Abstracts



  1995  
  v 2005 I 2004 I 2003 I 2002 I 2001 I 2000 I 1999 I 1998 I 1997 I 1996 I 1995 I 1994 I 1993 I 1992  

The different research units of the WZB publish their reports in "Discussion papers" (DIN A4-format). They are available from  the WZB's Press and Information Office. Please order the Discussion Papers by email or mail and include the number (SP IV …) and title of the Discussion Paper in your order form . (Only written orders are accepted.)


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The WZB also offers the complete text of a number of discussion papers for downloading in portable document format (PDF).  (Documents available in PDF are indicated by the Adobe PDF symbol to the left of the title just under the paper number.) You can view PDF documents with the original formatting on your screen as well as print them out. To do so, you need ¬Adobe's free "Acrobat Reader" software. Be sure to use version 4 or higher of Acrobat Reader, as our documents are not readable with older versions.


 FS II 95-301
 Helmut Weidner: 25 Years of Environmental Policy in Germany. Treading a Well-Worn Path to the Top of the International Field. 100 S.
English Abstract: The development of a systematic environmental policy began in Germany over 25 years ago. In the meantime 'environmental protection' has become an established area of policymaking and is rapidly expanding. Nevertheless, state environmental policy is once again subject to severe societal pressure. On the one hand, demands are being made - with great vigour - that the concept of 'sustainable development' be translated into tangible policies, that the ecological modernisation of the industrial society be driven forward and that the 'global challenges to the environment' be dealt with quickly and effectively. On the other hand, criticism from industry is becoming louder, with accusations that environmental measures are exaggerated and inefficient, and at the same time in the social area there are increasing conflicts of distribution due to the rise of other problems (such as unemployment and cuts in the social welfare system). Against this background it is interesting to review the most important phases in the development of state environmental policy and highlight the relevant factors which contributed to it. It is then possible to identify the factors which are particularly relevant in injecting more dynamism into environmental policy and raising its efficiency. This study is intended as the first step in this direction. The main characteristics and effects of German environmental policy are identified and discussed on the basis of criteria and insights generally acknowledged by environmental policy experts.
 FS II 95-302 Karin Pfingsten und Hans-Joachim Fietkau: Das Neusser Mediationsverfahren aus Sicht der Beteiligten. Ergebnisdarstellung der schriftlichen Befragung. Schriften zu Mediationsverfahren im Umweltschutz Nr. 9. 199 S.
Abstract available only in German. In dieser Arbeit werden die Ergebnisse der schriftlichen Befragungen präsentiert, die im Zusammenhang mit dem Mediationsverfahren in Neuss erhoben wurden. Dies umfaßt die Befragung der Teilnehmer am Mediationsverfahren, des Mediators und der teilnehmenden Beobachter sowohl während des Verfahrens als auch nach dessen Abschluß. Dargestellt werden die Deskription der Rohdaten, gruppenspezifische Unterschiede und Zusammenhänge zwischen den vielfältigen Urteilsdimensionen. Der Beitrag dient der Information einer spezifisch interessierten Fachöffentlichkeit. Der konzeptionelle Hintergrund dieser Erhebungen wurde 1992 von Pfingsten und Fietkau (WZB-paper FS 2 92-305) beschrieben. Die sich aus der statistischen Analyse ergebenden Interpretationen werden sehr datennah vorgenommen. Weitergehende sozialwissenschaftliche Interpretationen und praktische Folgerungen sollen an anderer Stelle (unter anderem im Projektendbericht) unter Einbeziehung der Gesamtbefunde des Projekts erfolgen.
 FS II 95-303
 Helmut Weidner und Hans-Joachim Fietkau: Environmental Mediation: The Mediation Procedure on the Waste Management Concept in the District of Neuss, North Rhine-Westfalia. Initial Results of the Companion Social Science Research. Schriften zu Mediationsverfahren im Umweltschutz Nr. 10. 54 S.
English Abstract: The development of a systematic environmental policy began in Germany over 25 years ago. In the meantime 'environmental protection' has become an established area of policymaking and is stiff expanding. Nevertheless, state environmental policy is once again subject to severe societal pressure. On the one hand, demands are being made -,with great vigour that the concept of 'sustainable development' be translated into tangible policies, that the ecological modernisation of the industrial society be driven forward and that the 'global challenges to the environment' be dealt with quickly and effectively. On the other hand, criticism from industry is becoming louder, with accusations that environmental measures are exaggerated and inefficient, and at the same time in the social area there are increasing conflicts of distribution due to the rise of other problems (such as unemployment and cuts in the social welfare system). Against this background it is interesting to review the most important phases in the development of state environmental policy and highlight the relevant factors which contributed to it. It is then possible to identify the factors which are particularly relevant in injecting more dynamism into environmental policy and raising its efficiency. This study is intended as the first step in this direction. The main characteristics and effects of German environmental policy are identified and discussed on the basis of criteria and insights generally acknowledged by environmental policy experts.

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 FS II 95-304 Katja Müller-Erwig: Der Münchehagen-Ausschuß - Eine qualitative Betrachtung der sozialen Prozesse in einem Mediationsverfahren. Schriften zu Mediationsverfahren im Umweltschutz Nr. 11. 66 S.
No Abstract available  
 FS II 95-305 Regula Enderlin-Cavigelli: Mediationsverfahren in der schweizerischen Kernenergiepolitik. Auswertungsbericht zur Arbeit der ersten Arbeitsgruppe der Konfliktslösungsgruppe radioaktive Abfälle (KORA) zum Thema Wiederaufbereitung. Schriften zu Mediationsverfahren im Umweltschutz Nr. 12. 16 S.
English Abstract: In this study on the first, and up to now only, mediation procedure in the Swiss nuclear energy policy, the author analyzes and evaluates the failed attempt to unblock the deadlocked positions with the help of conflict management methods. The author conducted comprehensive interviews with all participants in the procedure which she then evaluated using text analysis methods and evaluation criteria acknowledged for mediation research. She analyzes both the strong and weak points of this mediation and gives some recommendations for the planning and implementation of further attempts at conflict management. Due to various mistakes in the conduction and organization of the procedure it had not been possible to surpass the heavily ideologized positions and values in order to get to those interests that might have been negotiable. Eventually, the representatives of environmental protection interests broke off the negotiations because of their deep distrust in the procedure.
 FS II 95-306 Sonja Wälti: Mediationserfahrungen in der nuklearen Entsorgungspolitik der Schweiz. Schriften zu Mediationsverfahren im Umweltschutz Nr. 13. 48 S.
English Abstract: In various policy areas in Switzerland, attempts are being made to convert traditional mechanisms for decision and conflict regulation into mediation and related procedures. Two such procedures have been attempted in the conflict-filled area of nuclear waste disposal. The first took place from 1991 to 1992, bringing federal authorities, the NAGRA (national co-operative for nuclear waste disposal) and environmental groups together around a single table. The second, with a greater emphasis on the participation of private citizens, began in 1994 in Nidwalden, the canton in which the proposed site for a low and medium level nuclear waste repository is located, and is still in progress. This study compares the course taken and key elements of the dialogue in the two procedures. Both case studies are interpreted with reference to the literature on mediation, while the central question is why the two procedures took different courses. Where the procedure at federal level failed, initial results from Nidwalden are somewhat more promising. A further interesting question is how original effective new procedures can be, in a country which already has a highly participatory and consensually based political system. This study shows that the dialogues examined do indeed differ from those found in the usual decision-making process. Mediation and related procedures make a constructive contribution to decision-making in the field of nuclear energy policy, where participation is normally severely limited.
FS II 95-307 Katharina Holzinger und Birgit Lackmann: Das Neusser Mediationsverfahren: Ausgangssituation, Konfliktbeteiligte, Verfahrensverlauf und Sachergebnisse. Schriften zu Mediationsverfahren im Umweltschutz Nr. 14. 83 S.
No Abstract available  

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 FS II 95-308
 Katharina Holzinger: The Influence of the New Member States on EU Environmental Policy-Making. A Game Theoretical Approach. 25 S.
English Abstract: In January 1995 Austria, Sweden, a and Finland became member states of the European Union. All three countries have traditionally given comparatively high priority to environmental protection. This paper deals with the question of what influence the new members will have on environmental policy-making in the European Union. Two aspects must be considered: First, what influence could the new member states have on decisions taken by, the Council of Ministers? Second, what relative weight does the Council of Ministers have in the three procedures applicable to environmental decision-making, provided for in the Maastricht Treaty? Game-theoretical analysis shows clearly that the accession of Austria, Sweden, and Finland has caused the balance within the Council of Ministers to shift a great deal in favor of the environ-mentally more progressive member states, since they can no longer be overruled when qualified majority voting applies. The constraints on forming majority coalitions will now lead to far greater emphasis on consensus among the larger member states in future negotiations with the Council. The European Parliament's newly gained power in the co-decision procedure should benefit the environmental frontrunner states at least in the short term. Thus, the enlargement should be very welcome in the eyes of Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany.


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Last change: 2005-03-22 13:36