Na cestě z finanční krize. Vývoj finanční situace spolkového hlavního města a spolkové země Berlín

Abstract

On the Way Out of the Financial Crisis: The Development of the Financial Situation of Berlin

This study examines the financial development of Berlin from the German reunification in 1990 to the last Berlin state election in 2011. It chronologically prioritizes the major events which significantly influenced the financial situation of Berlin, including the cancellation of the federal financial aid (introduced in 1950 and composing almost two thirds of the budget of Berlin), the incorporation of Berlin into the system of financial equalization of the German federal states, the declaration of a financial emergency, and its discussion before the Federal Constitutional Court. The article explores if the city’s financial crisis is to be blamed on external factors or on the city government itself.

Keywords:Germany, Berlin, financial policy, financial crisis, federal financial aid, budgetary emergency