Publication
[MIDAS] Federalism and Elections – The Case of Germany and Korea

An article, written by Dr. Bernhard Seliger, Representative of the Hanns Seidel Foundation Korea, - "Federalism and Elections – The Case of Germany and Korea" was published in the July edition of the MIDAS magazine. In the article, Dr. Seliger commented on the political impacts of Germany's frequent elections. Increasing the number of elections would therefore stress the effectiveness of policies that are implemented for the sake of the voters. Germany will hold 34 votes in the next four to five years, increasing the likelihood that voters will have a significant influence on domestic politics.

However, Germany's state legislative elections have a greater impact on state-related issues. Therefore, one can expect that the outcome of the votes will be primarily based on the voter’s exposure to local campaigns. In other words, continuing election campaigns do not act as an obstacle to politics. The increase in elections would thereby hold politicians accountable for their actions. According to Dr. Seliger, if people would become more interested in election campaigns, they might not consider votes to be a necessary evil anymore.

For more information, visit the MIDAS magazine website to read the full article. The full text of the article can be found here.