Rating agencies provide service by offering information about different kinds of securities and/or investment opportunities. This paper addresses questions often asked during the 2008 U.S. financial crisis: Why did no one see this coming? Why were all the explanations given afterward, not given before as precautions? Or if they were given before, why did nobody listen? Using Giddens’ idea of disembedded systems [Giddens A (1991a) The Consequences of Modernity (Polity Press, Cambridge, UK)], the paper describes and frames the phenomenon of U.S. financial crisis and the role of rating agencies in particular as a disembedded service system. Hereby it offers an explanation of the crises in contrast to the common incentive-oriented or moralizing perspectives. The paper shows that the U.S. financial crisis emerged from a disembedded service system, a simulacrum of ratings, which after a while was no more connected to the reality of securities. Information-providing service systems are in danger to become simulacra, and with it they can disembed. The paper offers a new insightful perspective on how to analyze and understand information-providing service systems and hence offers a perspective to avoid crises based on disembedded systems. This is the first paper to our knowledge to analyze information-providing service systems based on Giddens’ theory of abstract disembedded systems. It provides a new understanding of information-providing service systems that can help to avoid crises based on disembedded systems.

For companies legal privilege represents an essential bulwark against the state. In the case of internal investigations legal privilege is of prime importance to the companies. At crucial points of intersection the legal situation in the US differs from that of Germany. In the US, confidentiality is regarded with the aura of a Holy Grail, applying to in-house counsel and external lawyers alike. However, in Germany those privileges do not apply to in-house counsels and neither are they intended to apply to the corporate lawyer (so-called Syndikus). This is explained by Criminal Law policy arguments, which according to the author\'s opinion are not tenable. This essay represents solutions de lege lata and de lege ferenda, in order to at least include in-house lawyers (so-called Syndikus) within the scope of legal privilege. For this purpose, the author argues in favor of a partial adoption of the American way.

The United States Whistleblower Program’s inadequate protections have placed the privacy and confidentiality rights of United States taxpayers in a vulnerable state. By using the United States Whistleblower Program as an example, this paper seeks to illustrate the risk of eroding the confidentiality and privacy rights of the taxpayer, which is a risk that other national and international governments should likewise attempt to mitigate in their own whistleblower protection programs.

The United States Whistleblower Program’s inadequate protections have placed the privacy and confidentiality rights of United States taxpayers in a vulnerable state. By using the United States Whistleblower Program as an example, this paper seeks to illustrate the risk of eroding the confidentiality and privacy rights of the taxpayer, which is a risk that other national and international governments should likewise attempt to mitigate in their own whistleblower protection programs.

Rating agencies provide service by offering information about different kinds of securities and/or investment opportunities. This paper addresses questions often asked during the 2008 U.S. financial crisis: Why did no one see this coming? Why were all the explanations given afterward, not given before as precautions? Or if they were given before, why did nobody listen? Using Giddens’ idea of disembedded systems [Giddens A (1991a) The Consequences of Modernity (Polity Press, Cambridge, UK)], the paper describes and frames the phenomenon of U.S. financial crisis and the role of rating agencies in particular as a disembedded service system. Hereby it offers an explanation of the crises in contrast to the common incentive-oriented or moralizing perspectives. The paper shows that the U.S. financial crisis emerged from a disembedded service system, a simulacrum of ratings, which after a while was no more connected to the reality of securities. Information-providing service systems are in danger to become simulacra, and with it they can disembed. The paper offers a new insightful perspective on how to analyze and understand information-providing service systems and hence offers a perspective to avoid crises based on disembedded systems. This is the first paper to our knowledge to analyze information-providing service systems based on Giddens’ theory of abstract disembedded systems. It provides a new understanding of information-providing service systems that can help to avoid crises based on disembedded systems.

By conducting an explorative study it is tried to determine whether a sample of film enthusiasts can produce a similar result in judging for the 87th Academy Awards for movies in 2014 like the actual Academy members or not. An online survey has been created and the votes cast by the participants have been tabulated. It can be shown that the results of the simulated awards voting in the survey are quite similar to the actual Academy decision. However, additional adjustments and further studies are recommended to ensure the results.

For companies legal privilege represents an essential bulwark against the state. In the case of internal investigations legal privilege is of prime importance to the companies. At crucial points of intersection the legal situation in the US differs from that of Germany. In the US, confidentiality is regarded with the aura of a Holy Grail, applying to in-house counsel and external lawyers alike. However, in Germany those privileges do not apply to in-house counsels and neither are they intended to apply to the corporate lawyer (so-called Syndikus). This is explained by Criminal Law policy arguments, which according to the author\''s opinion are not tenable. This essay represents solutions de lege lata and de lege ferenda, in order to at least include in-house lawyers (so-called Syndikus) within the scope of legal privilege. For this purpose, the author argues in favor of a partial adoption of the American way.

Diese Dissertation analysiert den Zusammenhang von neokonservativer Logik und der Idee des „American Decline“ in der außenpolitischen Debatte der USA von den 1960er-Jahren bis 2021 mit einem Fokus auf der Obama-Präsidentschaft (2009-17). Unter Anwendung der Imperiumstheorie untersucht sie Texte führender neokonservativer Plattformen und Denker_innen, die sich mit dem Wesen, den Aufgaben, den Kosten, dem Nutzen und der Zukunft amerikanischer Weltmacht befassen. Die Studie enthüllt die Niedergangsidee als einen integralen Bestandteil der neokonservativen Logik, der US-Superiorität legitimiert und stabilisiert. Sie vermittelt den Amerikaner_innen einen höheren Zweck und Orientierung, unterdrückt aber alternative Pfade für die Vereinigten Staaten durch die Gleichsetzung von US-Superiorität mit Weltordnung. / This dissertation examines the relationship between neoconservative logic and the idea of „American Decline” in the U.S. foreign policy debate from the 1960s until 2021 with a focus on the Obama presidency (2009-17). Building on imperial theory, the project analyses texts from leading neoconservative platforms and thinkers, dealing with the nature, tasks, costs, benefits and future of American world power. The study reveals the idea of decline as integral to neoconservative logic, as an element that legitimizes and stabilizes U.S. superiority. It provides Americans with a sense of mission and orientation and suppresses alternative paths for the United States due to its equation of U.S. superiority with world order.

Die Doktorarbeit untersucht institutionelle Aspekte von staatlichen Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES, positive Anreizinstrumente i.F.v. Zahlungen für Ökosystemleistungen) in der EU und den USA. Die Untersuchung ist zweiteilig: Zunächst werden Design und Performance von bestehenden agrarumweltpolitischen Anreizinstrumenten analysiert, welche vermehrt als PES verstanden werden. Dann wird die Relevanz des Ecosystem Services (ES) Konzeptes für die Ausgestaltung der bestehenden Instrumente identifiziert. Die generellen Forschungsfragen werden hinsichtlich institutionellem Design, institutioneller Performance und institutionellem Interplay konkretisiert und im Rahmen von fünf individuellen Veröffentlichungen beantwortet. Hinsichtlich der Anreizinstrumente werden Regeln für eine effektive Gestaltung hervorgehoben. Ferner wird herausgearbeitet, wie Anreizinstrumente mit bestehenden institutionellen Strukturen interagieren. Hinsichtlich der Politikrelevanz des ES Konzeptes wird dargelegt, dass es bisher nicht in die Umweltgesetzgebung integriert wurde, eine Integration aber fortschreitet. Der größte zukünftige Einfluss des Konzeptes wird für die Klima- und Agrarpolitik vorausgesagt, insbesondere für bestehende Zahlungsinstrumente. Generell wird aufgezeigt, dass Zielgerichtetheit und Integration von staatlichen PES wichtig sind. Für einen funktionierenden Instrumentenmix von PES und Regularien muss die jeweilige Eigentumsrechtsituation transparent gemacht werden und verschiedene Akteure müssen auf einer gemeinsamen Basis zusammenarbeiten. Demgemäß wird diskutiert, welches Potential das ES Konzept dafür bietet, die Kommunikation zwischen den Akteuren zu verbessern und neue Impulse für eine Kooperation zu geben. Schließlich wird argumentiert, dass eine systematische ES Untersuchung und Quantifizierung bessere Möglichkeiten für Zieldefinition und Monitoring bieten könnte, der Nutzen einer ökonomische Bewertung von ES aber immer sehr sorgfältig geprüft werden sollte. / The doctoral thesis identifies and analyses institutional aspects of governmental Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) in the EU and US. The analysis is twofold: First, the design and performance of existing governmental agri-environmental payment schemes that are increasingly labelled as PES have been investigated. Second, the influence of the ecosystem services (ES) concept on such payments has been identified. The general research objectives are structured in terms of institutional design, performance, and interplay. Five individual research papers shed light on the raised issues. Regarding payment schemes, findings indicate certain design rule sets that can be crucial for environmentally effective governmental payments. Furthermore, scheme interactions with other institutional arrangements have been shown. In terms of ES concept driven policies, the identified design principles have hardly been included but their integration is proceeding. The greatest future ES impact on policy design is predicted regarding climate and agricultural policies, especially on existing payment schemes. In summary, effective targeting and integration of governmental PES have been outlined as important. To create and achieve a sound mix of PES with regulations and policies, the property rights situation, the reference point for application of the ‘provider-gets’ and ‘beneficiary-pays’ principles, and any deviations therefrom should be made transparent. Furthermore, different actors must collaborate on basis of common denominators. The potential of ES to enhance communication among actors and provide new impulses for cross-sectoral and cross-level cooperation in existing governmental payments schemes implementation has been discussed. Moreover, it has been argued that regarding governmental payments, systematic ES definition and quantification may offer the opportunity to enhance targeting, and economic valuation and monetarization of ES should be very carefully considered.

By conducting an explorative study it is tried to determine whether a sample of film enthusiasts can produce a similar result in judging for the 87th Academy Awards for movies in 2014 like the actual Academy members or not. An online survey has been created and the votes cast by the participants have been tabulated. It can be shown that the results of the simulated awards voting in the survey are quite similar to the actual Academy decision. However, additional adjustments and further studies are recommended to ensure the results.