Comparative Legislative Research as Gerhard Loewenberg Saw It

My purpose in this paper is to capture the fundamental conclusions of Gerhard Loewenberg’s comparative legislative research. As an early leader in the field, Loewenberg focused on comparative legislative research in his scholarship throughout his career, with a special attention to the German parliament, producing a significant volume of articles (more than three dozen) and books (more than half-a-dozen) on the topic. The experience of having worked with Loewenberg for more than a decade as co-editor of the Legislative Studies Quarterly and in other capacities, and with my own background and interest in comparative legislative studies, gives me a unique perspective to articulate Loewenberg’s insights in this field. With Loewenberg’s recent passing, this will be a very timely analysis. This paper will focus not only on a summary of his research, but also what that suggests for future avenues of research in comparative legislative studies.