Andreas Sobisch, Ph.D. – Associate Professor of Political Science, John Carroll University

Dear Colleagues:

For decades after WW II, Germany had a relatively stable system of political parties. The two main parties, Social Democrats (SPD) on the left and Christian Democrats (CDP, partnered with the Bavarian Christian Socialists, CSU) on the right, might form coalitions with the much smaller, liberal (in European sense) Free Democratic Party (FDP) sort of right-of-center.

That party system has been slowly fragmenting since German reunification in 1990. Reunification required incorporation of the remaining ex-communists, some of whom formed a party to the left of the SPD. When that party collapsed in the 2002 federal election, it was succeeded by a new “Left” party that has won around ten percent of the vote in the past three elections. Environmental activism led to creating the Green Party in the West in the 1980s; since merging with an Eastern coalition, Alliance ’90, the Greens have alternated high points and disappointments. FDP results have also varied substantially. Most recently, reaction to the refugee influx in 2015 has bolstered the far right, “euroskeptic,” anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AFD), third in the 2017 election with 12.6% of the vote.

One result has been a new kind of stability: viewing the alternatives as unthinkable, the CDU and SPD formed “grand coalitions” from 2005-2009 and 2013 to now. But the SPD has lost about half its voters since 1998, and its decline, the increased support for the alternative parties, and the instability of that support raise crucial questions: Can the SPD recover? How will German government work as party politics changes? And with what consequences?

All best regards,
Joe White
Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for Policy Studies

About Our Guest

Born in Hamburg, Germany, Dr. Andreas Sobisch graduated cum laude from Georgia College with a B.S. in Political Science. He later earned an M.A. and a Ph.D. from Emory University. Having served as an Associate Professor for John Carroll University from 1990 to 1996, Dr. Sobisch then became the Director of Global Education from 2005 to 2015. He is currently an Associate Professor for the Department of Political Science.

Dr. Sobisch’s areas of study are Comparative Politics, European Politics, Politics of the European Union, and Research Methods. He currently teaches Comparative Politics, European Union, Political Parties, Public Policy, Global Citizenship Political Radicalism and Extremism, Neo-Nazism, Communism, Terrorism, and Research Methods: Philosophy of Science, Research Design, & Statistics. He is also part of the Advisory Board for the West European Studies Program out of the University of Pittsburg. A current member of the European Union Simulation Consortium, Dr. Sobisch also serves in the German Studies, the European Union Studies, and the American Political Science Associations.

Where We Meet

The Friday Public Affairs Lunch convenes each Friday when classes are in session, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Our programs are open to all and no registration is required. We usually meet in the Dampeer Room of Kelvin Smith Library.

* Kelvin Smith Library requires all entrants to show identification when entering the building, unless they have a university i.d. that they can magnetically scan. We are sorry if that seems like a hassle, but it has been Library policy for a while in response to security concerns. Please do not complain to the library staff at the entrance, who are just doing their jobs.

Parking Possibilities

The most convenient parking is the lot underneath Severance Hall. We regret that it is not free. From that lot there is an elevator up to street level (labeled as for the Thwing Center); it is less than 50 yards from that exit to the library entrance. You can get from the Severance garage to the library without going outside. Near the entry gates – just to the right if you were driving out – there is a door into a corridor. Walk down the corridor and there will be another door. Beyond that door you’ll find the entrance to an elevator which goes up to an entrance right inside the doors to Kelvin Smith Library.

Schedule of Friday Lunch Upcoming Topics and Speakers:

March 29: Punishment Beyond Prison: The Effects of Collateral Sanctions. With Michael Shields, Researcher, Policy Matters Ohio.

April 5: Budget Blues: Yes, It Can Get Worse. With Joe White, Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy.

April 12: The Polar Silk Road? With Kathryn C. Lavelle, Ellen and Dixon Long Professor of World Affairs.

April 19: Managing in a Trumped-Up Economy. With Mark Sniderman, Executive-in-Residence and Adjunct Professor of Economics, Weatherhead School, and former Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.

April 26: What Do We Know About the Health and Safety Effects of Marijuana: Medical, Recreational, or Otherwise? With Theodore Parran Jr. MD, Isabel and Carter Wang Professor and Chair in Medical Education and Associate Director, Rosary Hall at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center.