Paper Titles & Abstracts

Much has been said and written in recent years about Germany's policy approach to tackling the Financial and Eurozone crisis, or more precisely, about the policy choices taken by Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic party-led coalition government. In comparison, surprisingly little attention has been given to the policy positions developed and adopted by Germany's political parties in opposition, even though their policy positions are potentially those of the government parties in waiting. Furthermore, they represent the variety of debates currently held in Germany's political system. The Bundestag opposition German Social Democrats, Greens and Left Party represent the 'centre-left' of the country's political spectrum and differ not only ideologically from Merkel's 'centre-right' CDU/FDP-led coalition government in their analysis of the crisis but also in terms of their policy choices to deal with it. This paper analyses a variety of policy issues and the policy responses advocated by those parties; identifies distinct differences to the Merkel government approach; recognizes policy communalities among 'the Left', and concludes by shedding some light on the possible direction of German policies towards the 'Euro-crises' in case of a future government led by parties from the 'centre-left.