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The Recent Healthcare Reforms in Germany – How does the concept of partisanship explain the positions of SPD and CDU/CSU?

Heier, Jakob LU (2015) WPMM40 20151
Department of Political Science
Abstract
Since the 2000s, several healthcare reforms have been conducted within the healthcare system in Germany. These reforms aimed at decreasing healthcare costs by introducing market processes into public services, among other means. This paper examines the policy preferences and the discourse concerning the reforms of the two dominant parties in German politics, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU). It aims at revealing why the parties favoured and supported the particular reform policies. The partisan preferences are determined by applying the theoretical concepts of partisanship, power resources theory and a market-oriented power resources approach. This paper utilises the qualitative method of a... (More)
Since the 2000s, several healthcare reforms have been conducted within the healthcare system in Germany. These reforms aimed at decreasing healthcare costs by introducing market processes into public services, among other means. This paper examines the policy preferences and the discourse concerning the reforms of the two dominant parties in German politics, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU). It aims at revealing why the parties favoured and supported the particular reform policies. The partisan preferences are determined by applying the theoretical concepts of partisanship, power resources theory and a market-oriented power resources approach. This paper utilises the qualitative method of a discourse analysis. The expected preferences of the parties are compared with the political discourse and the policy outcomes regarding market-orientation and strategies of cost containment and recalibration. It can be demonstrated that the SPD repeatedly acted in a way that contradicted the assumed partisan preferences. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Heier, Jakob LU
supervisor
organization
course
WPMM40 20151
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
healthcare reforms, partisanship, power resources, market-oriented reforms, cost containment strategies
language
English
id
5426108
date added to LUP
2015-07-13 11:45:41
date last changed
2015-07-13 11:45:41
@misc{5426108,
  abstract     = {{Since the 2000s, several healthcare reforms have been conducted within the healthcare system in Germany. These reforms aimed at decreasing healthcare costs by introducing market processes into public services, among other means. This paper examines the policy preferences and the discourse concerning the reforms of the two dominant parties in German politics, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU). It aims at revealing why the parties favoured and supported the particular reform policies. The partisan preferences are determined by applying the theoretical concepts of partisanship, power resources theory and a market-oriented power resources approach. This paper utilises the qualitative method of a discourse analysis. The expected preferences of the parties are compared with the political discourse and the policy outcomes regarding market-orientation and strategies of cost containment and recalibration. It can be demonstrated that the SPD repeatedly acted in a way that contradicted the assumed partisan preferences.}},
  author       = {{Heier, Jakob}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The Recent Healthcare Reforms in Germany – How does the concept of partisanship explain the positions of SPD and CDU/CSU?}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}