Law
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Published in German.
The search for the »person responsible« for a political blunder is often in vain. Katrin Stein deals with the public's dissatisfaction resulting from this and defines the responsibility of politicians as a legal phenomenon. Since the personal responsibility of the decision-makers automatically limits their power and concepts of responsibility thus depend substantially on how political power is legitimized and defined, the author's study focuses on the basis for the idea of responsibility to be found in the theory of the state and the history of thought. Against this backdrop, the author analyzes the regulations which express the responsibility of politicians in constitutional law, criminal law and liability law. In doing so, she places particular emphasis on their practical application.