Political Outputs

Abstract

The inputs discussed in the last chapter — especially demands and support — are converted by the political authorities into outputs. These authorities are, at the federal level, the two chambers of Parliament (the Bundestag and the Bundesrat), the Chancellor, his Government and the civil service, and the President. They are linked to the political groups and the public in several ways: through the electoral system, through their overlapping membership of parties and interest-groups, and through constitutional rules which constrain their powers and define responsibilities in relation to the community.