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

    Politik als Experiment?

    Saretzki, T., 2017, Experimentelle Gesellschaft : Das Experiment als wissensgesellschaftliches Dispositiv. Böschen, S., Groß, M. & Krohn, W. (eds.). Baden-Baden: Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, p. 61-83 23 p. (Gesellschaft - Technik - Umwelt; vol. 19).

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

  2. Published

    Technikfolgenabschätzung und ihre Bedeutung für künftige Hightech-Strategien

    Saretzki, T., 06.2017, Partizipationsverfahren im Rahmen des Agenda-Settings in der Forschungs- und Innovationspolitik. Speth, R., Klein, A. & Burwitz, M. (eds.). Berlin: Bundesnetzwerk Bürgerschaftliches Engagement (BBE), p. 106-110 5 p. (BBE-Arbeitspapiere; no. 2).

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

  3. Published

    Scale in environmental governance: moving from concepts and cases to consolidation

    Newig, J. & Moss, T., 06.11.2017, In: Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning. 19, 5, p. 473-479 7 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    Political Careers in Multi-Level Systems: Regional Chief Executives in Italy, 1970-2015

    Grimaldi, S. & Vercesi, M., 15.03.2018, In: Regional & Federal Studies. 28, 2, p. 125-149 25 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    Matthias Lemke, Demokratie im Ausnahmezustand. Wie Regierungen ihre Macht ausweiten, Frankfurt/New York: Campus 2017

    Schottdorf, T., 2017, In: Zeitschrift für Politik. 64, 3, p. 396-399 4 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsCritical reviewsResearch

  6. Published

    Vom Normalstaat zum Ausnahmestaat: Zur Staatstheorie des kriseninduzierten Regimewandels

    Schottdorf, T., 2017, Ausnahmezustand: Theoriegeschichte – Anwendungen – Perspektiven. Lemke, M. (ed.). Wiesbaden: Springer VS, p. 27-40 14 p. (Beiträge zur aktuellen Staatsdiskussion).

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

  7. Published

    Ensuring the Sustainability of Technology and the Law

    Smith, L. J., 2017, Proceedings of the International Institute of Space Law 2016: 59th IISL Colloquium on the Law of Outer Space. Eleven International Publishing, p. 379-391 13 p. (Proceedings of the International Institute of Space Law; vol. 59).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksArticle in conference proceedingsResearchpeer-review

  8. Published

    Musterfeststellungsklage: Nicht gut, aber besser als nichts

    Halfmeier, A., 2017, In: Zeitschrift für Rechtspolitik. 50, 7, p. 201-204 4 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  9. Published

    Coming to work while sick: An economic theory of presenteeism with an application to German data

    Hirsch, B., Lechmann, D. & Schnabel, C., 01.10.2017, In: Oxford Economic Papers. 69, 4, p. 1010-1031 22 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  10. Published

    Human Empowerment and Trust in Strangers: The Multilevel Evidence

    Almakaeva, A., Welzel, C. & Ponarin, E., 01.10.2018, In: Social Indicators Research. 139, 3, p. 923-962 40 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review