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 'Arab Spring' and the spiral model: Tunisia and Morocco

    van Hüllen, V., 2013, The Persistent Power of Human Rights: From Commitment to Compliance. Risse, T., Ropp, S. & Sikkink, K. (eds.). New York: Cambridge University Press, p. 182-199 (Cambridge studies in international relations).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearchpeer-review

  2. In preparation

    The Application of Extended Producer Responsibility in Germany

    Schomerus, C.-T., 2018, (In preparation) Japanese Environmental Law: With a Comparison to German Environmental Law. Japan: Springer VS

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

  3. Published

    The anatomy of Central Eastern European cabinets

    Fettelschoß, K., 2006, Governing new European democracies. Blondel, J., Müller-Rommel, F. & Malova, D. (eds.). Basingstoke, Hampshire [u.a.]: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 39-57 19 p.

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

  4. Published

    The Americas: Evo's Bolivia: Continuity and Change, C. Farthing Linda & H. Kohl Benjamin . Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2014. 272pp

    Buitrago, M. A., 11.2015, In: Political Studies Review. 13, 4, p. 617-618 2 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsCritical reviewsResearch

  5. Published

    The Altmark Trans judgment: consequences for the hospital sector

    Kuchinke, B. A. & Schubert, J. M., 2007, Wirtschaftspolitik und wirtschaftliche Entwicklung: Analysen unter besonderer Berücksichtigung ostdeutscher Regionen. Steinrücken, T. & Jaenichen, S. (eds.). Ilmenau: Universitätsverlag Ilmenau - ilmedia, p. 153-172 20 p.

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

  6. Published

    The Aging of the Unions in West Germany, 1980-2006

    Schnabel, C. & Wagner, J., 12.2008, In: Jahrbücher für Nationalökonomie und Statistik. 228, 5/6, p. 497-511 15 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    The aging of the unions in West Germany, 1980-2006

    Schnabel, C. & Wagner, J., 2008, Erlangen: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 24 p. (Diskussionspapiere; no. 60).

    Research output: Working paperWorking papers

  8. Published

    The aging of the unions in West Germany, 1980-2006

    Schnabel , C. & Wagner, J., 2008, Lüneburg: Institut für Volkswirtschaftslehre der Universität Lüneburg, 22 p. (Working paper series in economics; no. 93).

    Research output: Working paperWorking papers

  9. Published

    The Age of Open Strategic Autonomy

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

    Research output: Books and anthologiesConference proceedingsResearch

  10. Published

    The 1986 Principles Relating to Remote Sensing of the Earth from Outer Space (RS Princi­ples)

    Smith, L. J., Gabrynowicz, J. I., Harris, R. & Schmidt-Tedd, B., 2015, Cologne Commentary on Space Law (CoCoSL). Hobe, S., Schmidt-Tedd, B. & Schrogl, K.-U. (eds.). Carl Heymanns Verlag, Vol. Vol III. p. 81-187 106 p.

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