From the 1960s to the 1980s, observers gave the name "Model Germany" to the Federal Republic.

They saw in Germany a political-economic "model" that was able to weather many economic challenges. "Model Germany" permitted political competition, while coordinating public policy among interest associations and private businesses so that changes would only take place only in a balanced and positive way.

Since the early 1990s this "German Model" has faced serious troubles.

Authors in this book describe its disintegration in the past decade and probe into the causes of this. Articles argue that it is Germany's national and European integration that has triggered the model's unravelling.

These processes are paralleled by tendencies in public opinion, social life styles, and political mobilization in parties, interest groups, and social movements.

The strains of "model Germany" show up in the transformation of industrial relations, corporate governance structures, and social and immigration policies in Germany.