"The existence of democracy in the state depends on the cultivation of democracy in the parties." With this quote from Ernst Fraenkel, Professor Dr Suzanne S. Schüttemeyer officially opened the Institute for Parliamentarism Research (IParl). At the same time, she presented the IParl's first research project. "Who elects whom, how and why?" With these questions, the IParl research team is analysing the internal party decision-making process for the nomination of candidates for the upcoming Bundestag election comprehensively and in a party-comparative manner.
60 invited guests accepted the invitation to the reception on 14 October 2016 at the IParl premises in Halle's Mühlweg district. In her speech, Ms Schüttemeyer spoke about the beginnings of the institute and her personal motivation to investigate the candidate line-up for the German Bundestag: The founding of the institute and the initiation of the research project were an "incredible story" that began with a sad event.
Background: Professor Dr Eberhard Schütt-Wetschky, a long-time colleague and companion of Ms Schüttemeyer, passed away last year. He had founded the Kiel and Hamburg-based Science and Democracy Foundation at the beginning of the 1990s. After his sudden death last year, Ms Schüttemeyer was asked by the Foundation to establish an Institute for Parliamentarism Research - which was at the centre of Eberhard Schütt-Wetschky's work. Since April of this year, the IParl has been established within a very short space of time. In the spirit of its founder, it is committed to fundamental, realistic and practice-orientated research. The IParl is intended to enrich the academic centre "Halle" and - according to the founding director - become a permanent address for research on parliaments and parliamentarianism.
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