Die Zukunft der Schuldenbremse nach der Pandemie: Einsichten aus einer Befragung aller 16 Landesparlamente

The German constitutional fiscal rule (the „debt brake”) is increasingly subject to a reform debate that has intensified with the fiscal fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic. This article presents survey evidence from the German state parliaments on views and preferences for the future of Germany’s fiscal rule. The survey among all 16 state parliaments was conducted between May and July 2020 with a participation of almost 30 per cent of all state parliamentarians. The results indicate that the debt brake still enjoys a large general support from more than two thirds of the parliamentarians. However, a reform in the direction of an investment clause is increasingly popular, much more than a clause that would support debt-financed climate policy measures.

Blesse, Sebastian, Friedrich Heinemann, Eckhard Janeba and Justus Nover (2021), Die Zukunft der Schuldenbremse nach der Pandemie: Einsichten aus einer Befragung aller 16 Landesparlamente, Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftspolitik 70 (1) , 81-97