L’importance grandissante de Berlin en Allemagne comme conséquence de la rétraction des services publics de haut niveau

Abstract

The location of public services and the daily organization of administration in the country is related to questions of efficiency and economies of scales. Germany, with a relatively good economic situation in comparison with its neighbours, knows also discussions about the structure of its public sector, with as a consequence, a concentration of it in some cities. These evolutions will be discussed with two examples. First of all, the senior public sector at a national level is traditionally located with polycentric patterns in Germany, until the country’s unification and the transfer of its government from Bonn to Berlin. Nevertheless, recent adaptations suggest a reinforcement of Berlin as central place in administrative functions. Secondly, in the German federal states, fusion projects show that similar evolutions may occur with a reduced number of regional capitals.

Keywords

• Germany
• Berlin
• Senior public service
• German federal state
• Territorial reform