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English Information about the Institute of Local Government Studies

Content

  1. About Term Papers and Theses
  2. Library
  3. About the Institute
  4. Personel at the KWI
  5. Contact

1. About Term Papers and Theses

Framework guidelines and documents for registering and writing a Bachelor's or Master's thesis at the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences can be found here.

Examination Areas Dr. phil. Peter Ulrich

  • BA Politics and Administration; BA Politics, Administration, Organization; BA Teaching Political Education (Administration and Public Policy)
  • MA Political Science, MA Administrative Science, MA Teaching Political Education (Governance and Government Organization; Policy Field Research), MANIA (National and International Administration and Policy)

Guidelines for Bachelor's and Master's Theses

  • Submission of the topic proposal by email at least 3 weeks before submitting the application documents to the examination board
  • Along with the submission of the topic proposal, simultaneously include an exposé or issue outline with justification for the choice of topic and explanation of its current academic relevance, as well as 10 current literature references
  • Only after presenting this material will it be decided whether supervision will be undertaken
  • Please refer to your valid study regulations for the formal framework conditions on this page
  • A leaflet for writing theses is available as a PDF in English

Thematic Complexes/Framework Topics
(in cooperation with partners from municipal practice and municipal consulting)

  • Establishment of holding companies, corporate governance, compliance
  • Tasks and task fulfillment of territorial authorities
  • The district administrator as head of the district administration and representative of the district
  • The role of the European representative in municipalities - competencies and effects
  • Elites with a municipal mandate
  • Energy industry
  • Territorial and structural reforms
  • History of local self-government
  • Intermunicipal cooperation
  • Municipal participatory management (optimization of participatory portfolio and management)
  • Municipal policy areas
  • Municipal economy
  • Municipal economic activities (supply and disposal, transport, savings banks, etc.)
  • Mandate holders
  • Reorganization and budget consolidation in all municipal administrative areas (building management, cemetery management, etc.)
  • Participation
  • Personnel in public service
  • Re-municipalization of local public services (waste management, public transport)
  • Constitutional foundations of municipal self-government
  • Administration and administrative action in the new federal states
  • Administrative modernization as an alternative to restructuring
  • The development of the competencies of the city council in history and present
  • Regional and local governance in the European multi-level system
  • Cross-border regional and municipal cooperation
  • German-Polish and German-French cooperation (European, national, regional, and municipal)
  • Regional and municipal politics
  • Regional and municipal innovation, planning, and infrastructure policy in the multi-level system
  • (Cross-border) public services and municipal development
  • Civil societal participation
  • Municipal administrative innovation
  • European integration and democracy research

Further topics are possible. Please specify your requests in such cases.

2. Library

An extensive range of books and "gray literature" on the following topics is available to you:

  • Municipal policy
  • Municipal administration
  • Municipal budgeting and accounting
  • Municipal law
  • Public administration etc.

Please use the OPAC of the University Library to search for books. The publications (reference collection) can only be consulted on site, and short-term loans may be possible by arrangement.

Books can be collected after prior notification of book requests by e-mail to: kwi@uni-potsdam.de.

3. About the Institute

The KWI was founded in December 1993 as a central interdisciplinary academic institution of the University of Potsdam by decision of the then Minister of Science of the State of Brandenburg. From the very beginning, it has been dedicated to interdisciplinary municipal research, teaching, further education and consulting in accordance with its statutes.

By resolution of the Senate of the University of Potsdam on December 15, 2010, the KWI was transformed into a joint academic institution of the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Law.

The new statutes of the KWI and the agreement reached with the University Presidium provide for the continuation of the institute with its previous name, its basic tasks, its status quo and its interdisciplinary internal structure

 

Tasks

Excerpt from the statutes

"The Institute of Municipal Studies is interdisciplinary in nature. Within the framework of the University of Potsdam, it serves municipal research, teaching and further education, particularly in the fields of law, social sciences and economics."

"The tasks and objectives of the institute are in particular Research on aspects of municipalities, primarily in the state of Brandenburg and in the other new federal states, support for teaching in the field of municipal science, organization of scientific conferences, further training of municipal elected officials, municipal electoral officials and other municipal employees, especially in the state of Brandenburg, municipal science consulting, especially for municipalities and federal states, provision of literature and documents relevant to municipal science, dissemination of publications, maintenance of national and international contacts, public relations."

Original statutes from December 14, 2000 [pdf]

 

Training and further education

The KWI regularly organizes courses for students on municipal science issues. In addition, conferences, seminars and workshops on current topics in municipal science are organized for interested local politicians and administrative practitioners. The results of previous conferences have been published in the KWI publication series (KWIS) and will be continued in the series.

 

Scientific advice

In the future, the KWI will intensify its scientifically oriented advice to municipalities and state institutions. In addition to ongoing advice on special legal issues (e.g. municipal constitution, municipal election laws, legal status of elected officials, legal problems of direct democracy), the KWI supports the municipalities of the state of Brandenburg in current issues of administrative modernization, budgeting and accounting, city marketing, personnel management, independence and outsourcing of municipal tasks. Members of the KWI's Board of Directors are involved in various bodies, committees and advisory boards in the state that deal with the further development of local self-government.

 

Services of the KWI for municipal practice

The KWI conducts scientific studies and analyses on municipal issues and prepares scientific reports. In particular, it provides scientific support for municipal reform processes and promotes the exchange of municipal experience. The KWI advises local authorities - especially in Brandenburg - as part of its scientific mandate on issues relating to the legal structure of local self-government and management. Through its Information and Documentation Center, it compiles research on municipal policy issues on request.

4. Personel at the KWI

Executive Board

Prof. Dr. Thorsten Ingo Schmidt (Managing Director)

Prof. Dr. Christian Bickenbach

Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann

Prof. Dr. Isabella Proeller

Prof. Dr. Fabian Schuppert

Prof. Dr. Alexander Windoffer

 

Staff members

Dr. phil. Peter Ulrich (Scientific Management)

Andrea Schäfer (Assistant)

Tristan Lemke (Project Staff)

Felix Neubert (Project Staff)

Prof. habil. Dr. Jochen Franzke (guest researcher and honorary member of the Executive Board)

Dr. Elisa Kochskämper (guest researcher)

Leonard Weiß (guest researcher)

Florian Colin (student assistant)

Fabian Dimke (student assistant)

5. Contact

Postal

Universität Potsdam
Kommunalwissenschaftliches Institut (KWI)
August-Bebel-Str. 89
14482 Potsdam

Postal (for Visitors)

Universität Potsdam
Kommunalwissenschaftliches Institut (KWI)
Campus Griebnitzsee, Haus 7, 0.27 - 0.36
14482 Potsdam

Phone: 0331/977-4534
Fax: 0331/977-4531
E-Mail: kwi@uni-potsdam.de
Web: https://www.uni-potsdam.de/de/kwi

Terms of Use

http://www.uni-potsdam.de/de/datenschutzerklaerung.html

Location

http://www.uni-potsdam.de/db/zeik-portal/gm/lageplan-up.php?komplex=3