The state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is faced with massive challenges resulting from an already insufficient population, negative demographic development, and a difficult budgetary situation. The state government as well as the state Parliament have met this challenge by redesigning the territorial boundaries of the counties (Kreise) and by redistributing the tasks between the local and state levels. The reform was ruled unconstitutional by the state's Constitutional Court in 2007. The second, somewhat different reform has now been accepted by the same Court in August 2011. This contribution analyses the new judgement and its consequences for the legislative process and the future performance of local governments.
I. EinleitungMecklenburg-Vorpommern ist das am dünnsten besiedelte deutsche Bundesland, das zudem noch besonders massiv an einer negativen demografischen Entwicklung leidet. Insofern ist es vielleicht nicht verwunderlich, dass es zugleich das Land mit der wohl mutigsten Territorialpolitik der Bundesrepublik ist. Das Landesverfassungsgericht steht der Politik in Sachen Superlativen schon insofern nicht nach, als es entsprechende Reformen im Jahr 2007 scheitern ließ -auf der Basis einer Entscheidung, die wie kaum ein anderes auf kommunale Gebietsre-
Reforms in local government often follow decisions that are taken by central governments. To initiate these changes, law is the most important mechanism. This article analyzes the different regulative strategies legislators can apply in this context. Since local governments have a variety of options at hand to resist orders for change, a strict steering approach is not necessarily the most promising mechanism. Contrariwise, to play a purely enabling role might not be a satisfactory option for central governments that want to express their commitment to a multilevel reform agenda.
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