How has this affected the development of these countries? Has one system fared better than the other?

This is reflected in a variety of ways. Each has areas where they excel although one would be hard pressed to find a consensus over which was better overall, and there has been convergence of the systems, especially in the post-WWII era.

#Economic Development

Historically, the industrial revolution in France was led more heavily by the state and big business than in Germany where private firms and small businesses played a larger role, although both countries had a more state led industrialization path than England.

In Germany, a lot of local infrastructure development (e.g. opera houses) was developed on a competitive basis with different states seeing each other as rivals, while French infrastructure development has tended to involve more "master planning."

#Health Care

The French health care system is run by a national bureaucracy. The German health care system, like Obamacare, involves a mandatory health insurance system where health care is administered primarily by private insurance companies. Both have their virtues, but they reflect different levels of comfort with centralization.

#Higher Education

As another example, the German university system was heavily tilted towards STEM programs for private industry, In contrast, the most prestigious university in France is the Ecole national d'administration which trains senior civil servants.

#Administrative Law

Political scientists often speak of the French Civil Service as a separate branch of government from the politically appointed executive branch officials of the French Presidency and Prime Minister's office. The French Council of State (which runs the administrative law system and sets top level regulatory policies) is widely viewed as the best run administrative law system in the world. It is also from France that we get the word "Bureaucracy" before their centralization developed modern style bureaucracy earlier than any other country in the world.

But, it was also not politically responsive to have to contact the French equivalent of your Congressman if your neighborhood street light goes out. French governmental provision of services has tended towards the technocratic, while German governmental provision of services has been more political.

#Public Sector Unions

The differences between the centralization of the systems has also likely contributed to the pattern of public union action.

France has a long history of national, public sector union strikes that are effective because the centralization of the system makes the entire nation a natural bargaining unit for them.

In contrast, in any federal system, including Germany's, the fact that one state's public sector workers are engaged in labor action does not affect other states. In much the same way, as this answer is written, all of the teachers in West Virginia have been on strike for several days shutting down all public schools in that state, but other U.S. states have barely noticed.

#Different Kinds Of Federalism

Federal systems, however, differ a great deal from each other. Germany and Canada, for example, centralize more kinds of legislation (while still decentralizing administration of those laws) than the United States, which in turn, centralizes more kinds of legislation than Switzerland.

As a result, federal states like Germany, with a high level of centralized legislation have not had the same regulatory race to the bottom that has characterized federal countries like the United States, where legislative authority is more decentralized.

How has this affected the development of these countries? Has one system fared better than the other?

This is reflected in a variety of ways. Each has areas where they excel although one would be hard pressed to find a consensus over which was better overall, and there has been convergence of the systems, especially in the post-WWII era.

Economic Development

Historically, the industrial revolution in France was led more heavily by the state and big business than in Germany where private firms and small businesses played a larger role, although both countries had a more state led industrialization path than England.

In Germany, a lot of local infrastructure development (e.g. opera houses) was developed on a competitive basis with different states seeing each other as rivals, while French infrastructure development has tended to involve more "master planning."

Health Care

The French health care system is run by a national bureaucracy. The German health care system, like Obamacare, involves a mandatory health insurance system where health care is administered primarily by private insurance companies. Both have their virtues, but they reflect different levels of comfort with centralization.

Higher Education

As another example, the German university system was heavily tilted towards STEM programs for private industry, In contrast, the most prestigious university in France is the Ecole national d'administration which trains senior civil servants.

Administrative Law

Political scientists often speak of the French Civil Service as a separate branch of government from the politically appointed executive branch officials of the French Presidency and Prime Minister's office. The French Council of State (which runs the administrative law system and sets top level regulatory policies) is widely viewed as the best run administrative law system in the world. It is also from France that we get the word "Bureaucracy" before their centralization developed modern style bureaucracy earlier than any other country in the world.

But, it was also not politically responsive to have to contact the French equivalent of your Congressman if your neighborhood street light goes out. French governmental provision of services has tended towards the technocratic, while German governmental provision of services has been more political.

Public Sector Unions

The differences between the centralization of the systems has also likely contributed to the pattern of public union action.

France has a long history of national, public sector union strikes that are effective because the centralization of the system makes the entire nation a natural bargaining unit for them.

In contrast, in any federal system, including Germany's, the fact that one state's public sector workers are engaged in labor action does not affect other states. In much the same way, as this answer is written, all of the teachers in West Virginia have been on strike for several days shutting down all public schools in that state, but other U.S. states have barely noticed.

Different Kinds Of Federalism

Federal systems, however, differ a great deal from each other. Germany and Canada, for example, centralize more kinds of legislation (while still decentralizing administration of those laws) than the United States, which in turn, centralizes more kinds of legislation than Switzerland.

As a result, federal states like Germany, with a high level of centralized legislation have not had the same regulatory race to the bottom that has characterized federal countries like the United States, where legislative authority is more decentralized.

How has this affected the development of these countries? Has one system fared better than the other?

This is reflected in a variety of ways.

#Economic Development

Historically, the industrial revolution in France was led more heavily by the state and big business than in Germany where private firms and small businesses played a larger role, although both countries had a more state led industrialization path than England.

In Germany, a lot of local infrastructure development (e.g. opera houses) was developed on a competitive basis with different states seeing each other as rivals, while French infrastructure development has tended to involve more "master planning."

#Higher Education

As another example, the German university system was heavily tilted towards STEM programs for private industry, In contrast, the most prestigious university in France is the Ecole national d'administration which trains senior civil servants.

#Administrative Law

Political scientists often speak of the French Civil Service as a separate branch of government from the politically appointed executive branch officials of the French Presidency and Prime Minister's office. The French Council of State (which runs the administrative law system and sets top level regulatory policies) is widely viewed as the best run administrative law system in the world. It is also from France that we get the word "Bureaucracy" before their centralization developed modern style bureaucracy earlier than any other country in the world.

But, it was also not politically responsive to have to contact the French equivalent of your Congressman if your neighborhood street light goes out. French governmental provision of services has tended towards the technocratic, while German governmental provision of services has been more political.

#Public Sector Unions

The differences between the centralization of the systems has also likely contributed to the pattern of public union action.

France has a long history of national, public sector union strikes that are effective because the centralization of the system makes the entire nation a natural bargaining unit for them.

In contrast, in any federal system, including Germany's, the fact that one state's public sector workers are engaged in labor action does not affect other states. In much the same way, as this answer is written, all of the teachers in West Virginia have been on strike for several days shutting down all public schools in that state, but other U.S. states have barely noticed.

#Different Kinds Of Federalism

Federalism systems, however, differ a great deal from each other. Germany and Canada, for example, centralize more kinds of legislation (while still decentralizing administration of those laws) than the United States, which in turn, centralizes more kinds of legislation than Switzerland.

As a result, federal states like Germany with a high level of centralized legislation, have not had the same regulatory race to the bottom, that has characterized federal countries like the United States, where legislative authority is more decentralized.

How has this affected the development of these countries? Has one system fared better than the other?

This is reflected in a variety of ways. Each has areas where they excel although one would be hard pressed to find a consensus over which was better overall, and there has been convergence of the systems, especially in the post-WWII era.

#Economic Development

Historically, the industrial revolution in France was led more heavily by the state and big business than in Germany where private firms and small businesses played a larger role, although both countries had a more state led industrialization path than England.

In Germany, a lot of local infrastructure development (e.g. opera houses) was developed on a competitive basis with different states seeing each other as rivals, while French infrastructure development has tended to involve more "master planning."

#Health Care

The French health care system is run by a national bureaucracy. The German health care system, like Obamacare, involves a mandatory health insurance system where health care is administered primarily by private insurance companies. Both have their virtues, but they reflect different levels of comfort with centralization.

#Higher Education

As another example, the German university system was heavily tilted towards STEM programs for private industry, In contrast, the most prestigious university in France is the Ecole national d'administration which trains senior civil servants.

#Administrative Law

Political scientists often speak of the French Civil Service as a separate branch of government from the politically appointed executive branch officials of the French Presidency and Prime Minister's office. The French Council of State (which runs the administrative law system and sets top level regulatory policies) is widely viewed as the best run administrative law system in the world. It is also from France that we get the word "Bureaucracy" before their centralization developed modern style bureaucracy earlier than any other country in the world.

But, it was also not politically responsive to have to contact the French equivalent of your Congressman if your neighborhood street light goes out. French governmental provision of services has tended towards the technocratic, while German governmental provision of services has been more political.

#Public Sector Unions

The differences between the centralization of the systems has also likely contributed to the pattern of public union action.

France has a long history of national, public sector union strikes that are effective because the centralization of the system makes the entire nation a natural bargaining unit for them.

In contrast, in any federal system, including Germany's, the fact that one state's public sector workers are engaged in labor action does not affect other states. In much the same way, as this answer is written, all of the teachers in West Virginia have been on strike for several days shutting down all public schools in that state, but other U.S. states have barely noticed.

#Different Kinds Of Federalism

Federal systems, however, differ a great deal from each other. Germany and Canada, for example, centralize more kinds of legislation (while still decentralizing administration of those laws) than the United States, which in turn, centralizes more kinds of legislation than Switzerland.

As a result, federal states like Germany, with a high level of centralized legislation have not had the same regulatory race to the bottom that has characterized federal countries like the United States, where legislative authority is more decentralized.