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Comparing German and American Electoral Systems
 Germany Today

Dr. Thomas Greven is a "Privatdozent" of Political Science at the John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies at the Freie Universität in Berlin. Three of the four study tours from Summer 2024 had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Greven while in Berlin where he discussed the differences and similarities of the American and German politcal systems.
 

Description & speaker

In a time when elections continue to be highly contested in the U.S., looking at elections in Germany and the U.S. can be a touchy and sensitive task. In the spirit of learning and understanding, Dr. Thomas Greven discusses the similarities and differences of the U.S. and German election systems in their current forms in the lead up to the U.S. 2024 Elections in a 60 minute lecture. The lecture is followed by an optional 30 minute Q&A led by TOP alumni. 

Photo of Dr. Thomas Greven

Biography

Dr. phil. habil. Thomas Greven teaches political science at the John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies at Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, as a “Privatdozent.” He is also an independent political consultant and analyst.

After studying political science at FU Berlin and Western Michigan University, Thomas Greven graduated in 1994 with an M.A from WMU. In 1995/1996, he was an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow in the office of Bernie Sanders (then the independent US Representative from Vermont). In 2000, he received his doctorate in political science at FU Berlin with a dissertation on labor rights and US foreign economic policy. Between 2000 and 2007, he was Assistant Professor of political science at the John F. Kennedy Institute at FU Berlin, where he also served as Visiting Professor from 2008 to 2009, and again from 2013 to 2014. In 2009, he earned his post-doctorate degree (“Habilitation”) in political science at FU Berlin.

Thomas Greven was visiting scholar and researcher, inter alia, at the University of British-Columbia in Vancouver; the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, DC; the University of California, Berkeley; York University in Toronto; the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC; the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies in Cologne, Germany; and the North American Studies program at University of Bonn, Germany. His research interests include US politics and foreign policy; the radical right; labor unions and industrial relations; and globalization and development policy.

Forthcoming and recent publications

Session Recording

Want to learn more?

If you are interested in learning more about the topic of German and American election and voting systems or sharing more with your students, the TOP Team welcomes you to check out the provided resources below.

  • Video

    How Voting Works in Germany

    Learn more about the Voting System in Germany with this video from the Bertelsmann Foundation

    Graphic of people voting in Germany and United States

  • Podcast

    Foreign correspondent unplugged

    This transatlantic dialogue highlights how German and American journalists see political and social developments in their countries and around the world

    Cover photo for Foreign Correspondent Unplugged Podcast Series Goethe-Institut Goethe-Institut

This topic in your classroom?

If you are wanting to teach about the German government or election systems, please check out some of the select lesson plans below available for use in your classrooms.

Back to the Virtual Speaker Series: Germany Today

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