Why do German politicians so often stumble over Ph.D. plagiarism allegations?
Yet another German politician has resigned over allegedly plagiarizing their doctoral thesis. Who catches them out, and why is this a big deal in Germany?
Family Affairs Minister Franziska Giffey (SPD) resigned over plagiarism allegations
The 43-year-old, who remains the Social Democrats' candidate for Berlin mayor in this September's election, insists that she completed the thesis in 2009 in good conscience, though may have made "mistakes."
This isn't a new kind of scandal for Germany. At least 20 respected German politicians have had aspersions cast on their academic integrity over the last ten years, including former Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (who lost his Ph.D. and resigned in 2011), former Education Minister Annette Schavan (who lost her Ph.D. and resigned in 2013), and Vice President of theEuropean Parliament Silvana Koch-Mehrin (who lost her Ph.D. and resigned in 2011).