A Study on the High Rate of Litigation in Germany

本社会法学研究旨在通过比较日本和德国的法律制度，分析德国诉讼率高的原因。本研究结果总结如下：第一，德国的诉讼率远高于日本，在民事案件中：德国18对日本1，在劳动案件中：德国456对日本1，行政案件中：德国266对日本1（1990）。其次，前人的研究指出，文化因素和制度因素是德国诉讼率高的原因。本研究表明，德国的法律制度通过大幅降低诉讼成本，使普通公民可以很容易地提起诉讼，而很少有证据表明文化因素对德国人的诉讼行为产生了至关重要的影响。第三，在德国，各类协会组织，如消费者组织、租户组织、社会福利组织、环境保护组织、社区组织、社会运动组织和网络组织，有力地赋予了个人诉讼权力。这些协会组织在个体的法律行为中发挥着非常重要的作用，这是本研究最重要的发现。最后，本研究得出结论：制度因素和组织因素对德国的高诉讼率产生了独立于文化因素的影响。

This socio-legal study aims at analyze the grounds of the high rate of litigation in Germany, by comparing the legal system of Japan and Germany. The findings of this study are summarized as follows :First, the litigation rate in Germany is much higher than that in Japan -in civil case : Germany 18 to Japan 1, in in labor case : Germany 456 to Japan 1administrative case : Germany 266 to Japan 1 (1990).Secondly, the preceding studies pointed out the cultural factor and the institutional factor as the grounds of the high rate of litigation in Germany. This study demonstrates that German legal institutions make the litigation very available for common citizens by reducing the cost of litigation dramatically, while there is very little evidence that shows the crucial influence of cultural factor on the litigious behavior of Germans.Thirdly, in Germany various type of associational organizations, for example consumer organizations, tenant organizations, social welfare organizations, environment protect organizations, community based organizations, social movements, and network organizations powerfully empower the litigation of the individuals. It is the most significant findings of this study that these associational organizations play the very important role in legal behavior of the individuals.Finally, this study come to the conclusion that the institutional factor and the organizational factor, independently of the cultural factor, influence on the high rate of litigation in germany.