The policy impact of church–state relations: family policy and abortion in Britain, France, and Germany

This study takes a closer look at these typologies their underlying rationale and their usefulness. More specifically the purpose of this study is to examine varieties of state-church relations and assess their utility in terms of how and to what extent they shape political outcomes. Rather than addressing the question of the impact of secularization or other historical forces and patterns on the relationship between church and state and treating it as a dependent variable the study attempts to comparatively analyse church-state relations in Western Europe as an independent variable. By doing so it follows an institutionalist perspective which is enlightened (von Beyme) in so far as it takes issue with older conceptualizations such as the view that institutions are only arenas for the struggle of more primary forces (such as class interests) or that they are the mere reflection of their social and political environment. Instead they are seen as relatively autonomous and coherent actors which not only create order and organise chaos but also provide symbols and thus interpretive coherence to politics. Accordingly church-state relations represent an institutional arrangement which provides an opportunity structure for religious interests in the political process and as such they determine to some extent whether churches as political actors operate as public institutions or as interest groups. (excerpt)