State constitutional courts and judicialization of politics in the German Länder

The research project examines degree and causes of judicialization of policies in the German Länder. The questions tackled with in this project are, hence, twofold. On the one hand, it will be investigated whether and to what extent decisions of subnational constitutional courts impacted on the scope for action of Land parliaments. The effect of constitutional rulings and decisions is measured with a "strength index" that captures the possible impact supreme court rulings might have had on legislation. In this respect, the project addresses a central theme of constitutional democracies: the tension between political self-determination and constitutional review. On the other hand, it is assumed that dimensions and degree of judicialization in the German Länder depend on institutional and personal factors, that is, on the competencies and the composition of the respective constitutional court. The project thus combines actor-centered and institutional-theoretical approaches to find answers to the research questions at hand.