The Problem of Political Exchange in Complex Governance Systems: The Case of Germany's Alliance for Jobs

A number of continental states have adopted tripartite concertation in order to reform their welfare and employment regimes. The German welfare state, in contrast, was highly resistant to reform efforts during the 1990s. The article analyses the emergence of tripartite concertation in Germany. It presents two arguments. First, unlike many European countries, Germany encountered major economic problems only from the mid-1990s. Second, the German case illustrates the very complex nature of institutional barriers which restrict government intervention in policy fields. The examples of the Alliances for Jobs in 1995 and 1998 show the interaction between institutional barriers and reform policies.