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Germany

Regional News, Regional Bias? Evidence From Media Discourses and Welfare Decisions in Germany

·822 字·2 分钟
Polihot 公共政策 公共行政 Regional Media Street-Level Bureaucracy Welfare Decisions Immigration Germany
PSJ — 2026-06-08 Original Regional News, Regional Bias? Evidence From Media Discourses and Welfare Decisions in Germany Stefanie Rueß Abstract ABSTRACT How do media representations of immigrants shape their treatment by street‐level bureaucrats? Despite a uniform federal legal framework, decision‐making varies substantially across local welfare offices. Though prior research links national news reporting and policy implementation, little is known about how regional variation in news reporting on immigration is linked to spatial variation in bureaucratic decision‐making. This is a key gap because regional media structures how residents perceive local developments and problems. I argue that street‐level bureaucrats are embedded within such a regional news environment, where reporting shapes their perception of regional immigration patterns and makes stereotypes cognitively accessible to them, influencing their decisions. I term this dynamic the regional media bias mechanism . To examine this phenomenon, I combine state‐level data on benefit reduction rates in Germany’s welfare program Citizen’s Benefit with regional newspaper articles (2010–2019). Leveraging topic modeling and panel data analysis, I show that regional narratives on rather positive topics of immigration are associated with more favorable administrative outcomes for immigrants, whereas frames emphasizing rather negative aspects correspond with stricter treatment. These results highlight the critical role of regional media in explaining regional variation in administrative decision‐making, thereby shaping policy implementation.

New Public Governance, neo-corporatism, and health policy: status quo, constraints, and future directions

·416 字·1 分钟
Polihot 公共行政 公共政策 New Public Governance Neo-Corporatism Health Policy Germany Meta-Governance
PMR — pp. 1-27 2026-04-22 Original New Public Governance, neo-corporatism, and health policy: status quo, constraints, and future directions Benjamin Ewert Abstract This paper examines the prospects of New Public Governance (NPG) within Germany’s neo-corporatist health system, focusing on institutional fit, practical barriers, and reform trajectories. While NPG promotes participation, collaboration, and co-creation, its application is constrained by power imbalances and limited cross-sector permeability. Using Integrated Care and Health in All Policies as examples, the paper highlights both partial alignment with NPG principles and structural resistance. Four future scenarios illustrate possible governance pathways. This paper contributes to public management research by showing how NPG reforms interact with entrenched governance modes and emphasizing the role of meta-governance and civic engagement.