Farewell to Wolfgang Schäuble
The Chancellor-behind-the-Scenes Imagine a mountain climber who scaled every peak in the Himalayas except Everest. That was Wolfgang Schäuble. No postwar politician reached more top party and government posts. Although …
Back to Reason!
The Constitutional Court’s decision is an opportunity for a far-reaching political change. The Traffic Light Coalition should seize it. This article originally appeared in German in WirtschaftsWoche on November 25, …
Hyperinflation Weimar
One hundred years ago, the Weimar inflation reached its peak. It remains Germany’s greatest economic crisis and has heavily shaped the history of the Federal Republic. Within a few months …
Germany Needs More Industrial Policy
The past two years have been hard for the German economy. Not only has the energy price shock following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 shaved off roughly 4 …
Germany Faces a Challenging Demographic Situation
The German economy is weakening. This year, the gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to shrink by 0.5 percent. This puts Germany at the bottom of international growth rankings. By comparison, …
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The German Puzzle
What is wrong with Germany? The erstwhile powerhouse of Europe has turned into the only major economy that looks set to contract in 2023. The export machine is stumbling, residential …
The Return of German Pessimism
The End of Modell Deutschland Germans have been notoriously pessimistic throughout their history. Walter Laquer, a long-time analyst of Europe, once laid the origins of this pessimism to the Thirty …
The Illusion of Effortless Prosperity
This article originally appeared in German in Die WELT. Germany is in decline. Not just since the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war—the relevant performance indicators have been trending negative …
Social Divisions and Questions of Identity in Germany and the United States
Consequences for Politics and Society An Exchange Outside of the Metropolitan Areas A Three-Year AGI Project – Final Conference Summary In recent years, open communication and compromise have been neglected …
Glendale & Memmingen
Reflections on Social Divisions & Questions of Identity in Germany and the United States In September 2022 and March 2023, the third cohort of the AGI Social Divisions and Questions …
The Rise and Fall of Industrial Cities on Both Sides of the Atlantic
This article was originally published in German at the German Economic Institute (IW Köln). Buffalo (New York) and Dortmund (North Rhine Westphalia) as well as Akron (Ohio) and Chemnitz (Saxony) …
Inflation: Pressure is easing, but it will not disappear completely
The statisticians who calculate the inflation rate have had a challenging job over the past three years. The calculation of the inflation rate is based on the consumer price basket …
The 9-Euro Ticket
A one-off low-cost and climate friendly public transportation measure in Germany has expired. Will the German government continue it? The 9-euro ticket, a one-time, low-cost public transportation measure introduced in …
Universal Basic Income in Germany
This past spring, eye-catching posters from the organization Expedition Grundeinkommen (Expedition Basic Income) could be seen all over Berlin. With their colorful, cartoonish images and hopeful slogans (“more solidarity,” “less …
