Fritz W. Scharpf (born 12 February 1935 in

Schwäbisch Hall Schwäbisch Hall (; "Swabian Hall"; from 1802 until 1934 and colloquially: ''Hall'' ) is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg located in the valley of the Kocher river, the longest tributary (together with its headwater Lein) of the ...

) is a German professor and Emeritus Director of the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies. His areas of interest include; the organisational problems and decision processes in governments at all levels; the political economy of inflation and unemployment; comparative political economy of the

welfare state A welfare state is a form of government in which the state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equita ...

. In 2000, Scharpf was awarded the

Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science ), location=Uppsala, Sweden, date= The Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science ( sv, Skytteanska priset) was established in 1995 by the Johan Skytte Foundation at Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public ...

Other awards

* 2008 Honorary doctorate of the European University Institute in Florence, Italy * 2007 Science Prize of the Stifterverband * 2007 Lifetime Contribution Award in EU Studies from the

European Union Studies Association The European Union Studies Association (EUSA) (founded 1988) is a scholarly and professional association with its focus on the European Union, the processes of its integration, and its transatlantic relations. It notes valuable contributions to Eur ...

* 2004 Bielefeld Science Award, (with ''Renate Mayntz'') * 2004 Great Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany * 2003 Honorary Doctorate, Humboldt University Berlin

Publications

Scharpf is an author of several books and his articles have appeared in numerous journals. In a 1988 scholarly article, , he identified a situation labelled joint decision trap, in which there is a tendency for government decisions to be taken at the lowest common denominator in situations where the decision-makers have the ability to veto the proposals. It is common challenge for federal governments, such as

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

, and the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

References

External links

Seite von Prof. Dr. Fritz W. Scharpf at the Max-Planck-Institut für Gesellschaftsforschung / Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies in German
German political scientists Max Planck Society people 1935 births Living people Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany European Union and European integration scholars Corresponding Fellows of the British Academy Max Planck Institute directors {{polisci-bio-stub