School of Public Affairs

Organisational unit: Research School

Organisation profile

Leuphana School of Public Affairs is the academic and professional home to 1.000 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral students and 31 professors. 30 research associates and 17 professional staff members are working for us.

The main themes of the school are reflected in its study programs: The School of Public Affairs is currently responsible for three Majors and four Minors at Leuphana College, five Master’s programmes and five Doctoral research groups at Leuphana Graduate School as well as five continuing education Master's programmes at Leuphana Professional School. As a novelty in Germany, the Master of Law offers students the opportunity to obtain both a Master's degree in law (LL.M.) as well as the state law examination. With its emphasis on "Law in Context", this model degree programme transcends a classic-dogmatic perspective of jurisprudence by presenting the relevant contents from civil law, public law and criminal law against the backdrop of current societal challenges and transformations. 

Main research areas

Leuphana School of Public Affairs brings together the disciplines of Political Science, Law, and Economics under one roof. With 31 professorships, it establishes an innovative profile in Germany on issues of public affairs, gaining both national and international visibility and academic reputation.

The School conducts research on the major transformations of our time and thus continues to develop its existing research agenda on the future of democracy, evidence-based political decision-making and law in the context of societal transformation. In an interdisciplinary collaborative endeavour, the three subjects will, among other things, answer pressing questions about

  • the legitimacy and performance of democracies, whose integrative power is under threat, especially in light of recent upheavals in politics and society,
  • the role of the state with regard to the relationship between private-law and public-law regulation,
  • the justification of governmental intervention into market processes and their ex-post evaluation.
  1. Published

    The comparative study of governments and ministers: Jean Blondel’s legacy

    Müller-Rommel, F. & Vercesi, M., 12.2024, In: European Political Science. 23, 4, p. 535-545 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  2. Published

    Comparative Culturology and Cross-Cultural Psychology: How Comparing Societal Cultures Differs From Comparing Individuals’ Minds Across Cultures

    Minkov, M., Vignoles, V. L., Welzel, C., Akaliyski, P., Bond, M. H., Kaasa, A. & Smith, P. B., 03.2024, In: Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. 55, 2, p. 164-188 25 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. E-pub ahead of print

    When (and how) ideas become arguments: the regulation of party donations in Germany

    Koß, M., 31.01.2024, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Rivista Italiana di Scienza Politica. 2024, 14 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    Politische Redeweisen

    Müller, J. & Séville, A., 01.01.2024, Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck GmbH and Co. KG. 116 p. (Zur Sache. Der Essay; vol. 4)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesMonographsTransfer

  5. Published

    15 years of degrowth research: A systematic review

    Engler, J. O., Kretschmer, M. F., Rathgens, J., Ament, J. A., Huth, T. & von Wehrden, H., 01.04.2024, In: Ecological Economics. 218, 14 p., 108101.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    § 19 Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz

    Gerlach, J. & Manzke, S., 2024, Handbuch Nachhaltigkeit im Vergaberecht. Lausen, I. & Müller, J. P. (eds.). München: C.H. Beck Verlag, p. 275-284 10 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearch

  7. Accepted/In press

    Art. 51 VO (EU) 651/2014 zur Gruppenfreistellung (Sozialbeihilfen für die Beförderung von Einwohnern entlegener Gebiete)

    Gerlach, J., 2024, (Accepted/In press) Europäisches Beihilfenrecht. Bungenberg, M. (ed.). 2. ed. Baden-Baden: Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions in collection of commentariesResearch

  8. Accepted/In press

    Öffentlicher Personenverkehr

    Gerlach, J., 2024, (Accepted/In press) Europäisches Beihilfenrecht. Bungenberg, M. (ed.). 2. ed. Baden-Baden: Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions in collection of commentariesResearch

  9. Published

    Unions as insurance: Workplace unionization and workers' outcomes during COVID-19

    Braakmann, N. & Hirsch, B., 04.2024, In: Industrial Relations. 63, 2, p. 152-171 20 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  10. Published

    The Age of Open Strategic Autonomy

    Wiesenthal, J. (Editor) & Fechter, J. (Editor), 2025, Baden-Baden: Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG. 270 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologiesCollected editions and anthologiesResearch