Introduction: increasing policy advice in Germany

In recent years, federal-level policy advice has gained considerable importance, and political consultancy is now a veritable part of policy-making in Berlin. Of course policy advice in the form of institutionalised academic and scientific counselling and support to government, ministries and parliament was already established and had grown since the late 1960s. However, since the move of the federal government and almost all of its ministries as well as the German parliament to Berlin (completed in 1999), policy advice has grown rapidly as a political industry. This has come about mainly from the overall rising importance of counselling in a modern Wissensgesellschaft (knowledge society), but is also part of the special and more competitive political climate in Berlin, which has not only led to a pluralised consulting industry in Germany, but also changed its self-conception (Heinze, 2009).

On the one hand, a multilayered consulting industry with new players and providers has evolved, making policy advice much more difficult. On the other hand, this development has caused a fundamental change in the relationship between state/government and interest groups/associations and conventional lobbyism. The once strong influence, of business associations and unions in particular, has declined remarkably. Nowadays, in addition to nationwide operating interest groups, large companies tend to represent themselves and are seeking their own influence in Berlin and Brussels. A good example to highlight this kind of rising particularisation, as well as the growing heterogeneity and role of major enterprises, is the political struggle regarding the phasing out of nuclear power and increasing the use of sustainable energy, which is a new approach in German energy policy. Several severe conflicts have thus resulted such that leading business associations, such as Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie (BDI, Federal Association of German Industry), have not been able to formulate a consistent position towards government and its new energy policy. Internal conflicts like this within major business interest groups are mainly caused by socioeconomic factors such as the rapid growth of ‘renewables’, a growing industry that already has strong roots in the manufacturing industry and traditional economy. These internal tensions are further exacerbated by emerging new political parties and party constellations.