German Economic Research Articles

Manipulative Mechanisms in German Economic Discourse: A Study of Publications on Foreign Economic Relations between Germany and China in 2020-2023

This study explores the mechanisms of manipulative influence within German-language economic discourse. The empirical material consists of articles from the Köln Institute for Economic Research, detailing external trade cooperation between Germany and China during the years 2020 to 2023. It has been found that metaphors, borrowings, idiomatic expressions, expressive language, and emotives — comprising combinations of evaluative connotations — exert a covert manipulative effect on communication participants. At the grammatical level, the use of adverbs in the superlative degree and modal verbs in the preterite subjunctive form enables the construction of narratives that downplay the significance of China’s successes as an economic competitor. The analysis reveals that manipulation within economic discourse is intentionally obscured, possessing an implicit nature. It has been determined that portraying the Chinese economy in an unequivocally negative light is impractical; however, there are noticeable trends towards diminishing the significance of its successes, negatively evaluating business activity, and exaggerating the perceived threats posed by China to its business partners. The novelty and relevance of this research lie in addressing the techniques of manipulative influence in shaping the linguistic worldview within economic discourse — a perspective that has not yet been explored, as such texts are often considered objective documents grounded in scientific statistical data.

The 25th Anniversary of the German Economic Review 2.0

The 25th Anniversary of the German Economic Review 2.0

What leads to a professorship in German economics? A longitudinal analysis of tenure determinants (1984–2021)

ABSTRACT This study uses event history analysis to show what promotes tenure in German economics, utilizing a unique and virtually complete national dataset that includes 70,657 publications from 3955 economists, of which 1196 received tenure between 1984 and 2021. While existing theories emphasize that gender discrimination, parenthood, human capital, academic prestige, and social capital explain who is tenured, no study has thus far evaluated these factors concurrently across an entire national population of economists. Our findings reveal that fewer women receive tenure than would be expected based on their representation in the candidate pool. However, gender, parenthood, and non-reviewed publications do not significantly influence tenure attainment after controlling for covariates. Instead, mobility, accessing advanced career stages, and peer-reviewed journal articles are most strongly related to receiving tenure. Independently of productivity, academic prestige, such as receiving grants and awards, also impacts tenure prospects significantly, as does social capital, measured through research mobility, interim professorships and co-authorships. Being affiliated with prestigious universities shows minimal effects on receiving tenure, however. These findings imply that mobility, moving up career stages and being productive by publishing peer-reviewed journal articles are the strongest determinants of becoming a tenured economics professor in Germany.

The Closed World of East German Economists: Hopes and Defeats of a Generation by Till Düppe (review)

The Closed World of East German Economists: Hopes and Defeats of a Generation by Till Düppe (review)

New Data Frontiers in German Economic History

New Data Frontiers in German Economic History

Of parvenus, priests and prophets: An exploration of transformations of (some) economists and their subject

Bridget Fowler’s work develops the topic of social transformation in Bourdieu’s writing – how it comes about, how it is to be framed theoretically, and who the agents of that change may be. This article continues this important line of thought by looking at one group that (sometimes) does contribute to social transformation. I call this group parvenus: ascendants from lower positions that move into leading positions within various fields. I take the field of science as a specific example. Building on research investigating the motivations of German economics students, I explore, and reflect upon, a distinct characteristic of the parvenu’s habitus: i.e. a tension introduced by exposure to different cultural milieus and influences. The close analysis suggests a more variable definition of the term parvenu, as well as novel ways of social reproduction.

Етична економіка як методологічний виклик постмодернізму

The article is devoted to the problem of the compatibility of the economic and ethical foundations of entrepreneurial activity. In the conditions of postmodernism, their connection is blurred by a complex interweaving of economic and ethical motives. The conclusions of researchers who study this issue often contradict actual practice. Moreover, in postmodern philosophy, ethics in the general theoretical sense was not only underestimated, but also not regarded as an acceptable phenomenon. That is why science has not developed a complex of intellectual actions that would have a universal character to neutralize the negative consequences of postmodernism. Considering the growing role of ethical issues in the modern society and their lack of development in the economic environment, it is reasonable to analyze the series of works of the German economist, philosopher and sociologist Peter Koslowski. In his studies, the issues of bridging the gap between ethics and economic rationality associated with postmodernism as a special historical era, which is characterized by a number of specific features that are critical to the emergence and deepening of socio-economic risks, are discussed in a balanced and objective manner. Due to this it is relevant to define the problems of the theory of ethical economy not in isolation, but in interaction and mutual influence with modern transformation processes of postmodernism. The productive attempt to consider these issues was made by Peter Koslowski in his fundamental works: «Postmodern Culture», «Principles of Ethical Economy», «Ethics of Banking». The purpose of this article is to consider, based on the conceptualization of Peter Koslowski’s methodological position, the theoretical concept of ethical economy as a potentially important factor in overcoming the ethical neutralization of the economic system in the postmodern period. The novelty is the definition of ethical economy as a universal theory of rational activity, which takes into account the interaction of various socio-economic factors — ethics, economy and finance, law, sociology, history — which allows it to be interpreted as a multi-subject scientific discipline, the semantic contexts of which determine behavioral choice of economic entities, consumer and humanitarian expectations of the population. The methods of hermeneutics, analysis and synthesis, comparison, abstraction and generalization were used in the research. The main conclusions of the article are characterized by theoretical innovations that can provoke methodological discussions and ultimately contribute to an in-depth study of the multifaceted issues of ethical economy. The detailed and logically consistent concept of ethical economy as a system of economic views on a fair economic order during the period of change of world history eras, change from modernity to postmodernity is presented. The normative side of ethical economy includes legal obligations, which can be properly implemented in laws. In the triad of law, ethics and economics, the principle of efficiency and social justice applies to both law itself and ethics and should be used in the development of adequate legislation.

«Воспитательный протекционизм» и политика импортозамещения как инструмент раскрытия ресурсного потенциала отечественных товаропроизводителей в условиях современности (при участии таможенных органов)

The article proves the applicability and effectiveness of the theory of ‘educational protectionism’ and the policy of import substitution as a tool for unlocking the resource potential of domestic producers in modern conditions (with the participation of customs authorities). Researchers have been interested in exploring the ways of developing the state's economy and revealing its potential for a long time. This issue is especially relevant today in modern Russia, when de facto it has become isolated from foreign countries in many areas. In the current conditions, the role of state participation in managing the development of market conditions is expediently great; objectively, the support of domestic business from the state is necessary, including through the active implementation of protectionist policies. To date, many studies have been conducted, which are reflected in relevant works supporting protectionist ideas as a factor in unlocking the internal potential of the country, its rational provision of resources, and, therefore, ensuring the welfare and development of the nation. For example, the doctrine of the so-called ‘educational’ protectionism of the outstanding German economist of the XIX century F. The List, which has become the ideology of carrying out reforms of such prominent political figures as O. von Bismarck in Germany and S.Y. Witte in Russia, is still relevant today. The article shows the operation of this mechanism in practice in different periods of the development of the domestic economy.

The Decline of German Economic Activities in Singapore During the First World War.

The Decline of German Economic Activities in Singapore During the First World War.

Indien: Die Bedeutung der Zuwanderung für die Zukunft des Wirtschaftsstandorts Deutschland

Abstract The immigration of STEM specialists has a decisive impact on Germany’s ability to innovate. Analyses by the German Economic Institute with a focus on India show high employment growth in recent years. Indian STEM specialists earn comparatively high median wages. The revised Skilled Labour Immigration Act offers the opportunity to further strengthen and accelerate this immigration process.

What’s (in) a game? An empirical reflection on the relationship of higher education students to their disciplines

ABSTRACT This paper contributes to attaining a clearer view and understanding of the processes of socially induced changes of students in the ‘game’ of higher education (HE). First, it engages in a critique of the gaps of some prominent current literature on HE. It asserts the relatively autonomous dimension of games, both for those privileged in it and those that are not. This autonomous dimension diverts outside influences (e.g. class, gender, ethnicity) in context-specific ways. It forces the sociologist to clarify the game, its rules and regulations, and to relate this clarified game with the specific reactions and adjustments of its students. The Goffmanian concepts of ‘game’ and ‘instrumental formal organisation’ are used for that purpose. The relationship that outsider German economics students have to their subject game serves as an empirical case study. The paper suggests three types of relations (ways of playing) of student to disciplinary game, applicable to diverse circumstances – puzzle-solving, colonisation, and intransigence. These types of relations are fundamentally different, characterising an increasing degree of integration into the disciplinary game. In effect, the Goffmanian detour also invites further epistemological and theoretical reflections towards a revised- and re-sensitised study of students’ relationships to HE.

Zur Zukunft des Wirtschaftsstandorts Deutschland: sortierende Bemerkungen

Abstract This article served as the keynote speech at the opening of the conference ‘On the Future of Germany as a Business Location’, hosted by Wirtschaftsdienst and the German Economic Institute. The standards and indices used to assess the competitiveness of industrial locations evolve over time, leading to potential variations in results and policy implications. Current policies face the dual challenge of navigating both change and competition among locations. Therefore, industrial policy should increasingly prioritise the capacity for transformation and the availability of necessary input factors to establish a foundation for successful transformation and maintain competitiveness.

Economics in Germany: About the Unequal Distribution of Power

This article analyzes the power relations in the field of German economics. By incorporating the capital and field theory of Pierre Bourdieu, the study investigates the distribution of economic, social, and symbolic capital on economists in Germany. In a first step, the three forms of capital have been defined and operationalized on publicly available information. This leads to eight main samples of economists. In a second step, information on these economists have been collected to derive indicators regarding their paradigmatic stance and institutional background. The findings indicate a monopolization of mainstream economics and concentration of resources on the large economic departments. Furthermore, these characteristics relate to an increased importance of Colander’s Edge, an almost complete marginalization of heterodox economics and a significant center-periphery disparity. Thus, in the field of economics in Germany, a social structural verticalization and elitism of universities as well as a paradigm monism can be observed.

Sombart’s history of capitalism and contemporary world, global and transnational history: Similarities and differences

With the great wave of global integration in economy, society and culture, historiography began to acknowledge the importance of interpreting the past at the highest - world level. Under the influence of numerous historians (primarily in the United States and Western Europe) during the 19th century, and to a much greater extent after 1945, rather innovative directions of world, global and transnational history were created trying to overcome contradictions and a narrow interpretation of the history of international relations, national states and local communities. These focused both on local identities and on states as key factors in the past. In the search for phenomena that permeated world societies, historians, under the influence of other social sciences, began to recognize capitalism as par excellence supranational, that is, a world phenomenon. Although it may seem that the interest in capitalism as a building block of global history (that is, the world system as Immanuel Wallerstein said) is more recent and under the influence of the post-Cold War era, the world-historical significance of this phenomenon was first recognized by authors from the turn of the 19th to the 20th century. Among them, the German economist, sociologist and historian Werner Sombart (1863-1941) has a special place, since he devoted several decades of his career to the study of this phenomenon.

The Effects of German Economic and Political Progress on the Sparkassen Savings Bank System

The Effects of German Economic and Political Progress on the Sparkassen Savings Bank System

From Ludendorff to Lenin? World War I and the Origins of Soviet Economic Planning

The planned economy was a defining element of the Bolshevik dictatorship. In contrast to scholars who have located its intellectual roots in the classic texts of nineteenth-century Marxism, this essay situates the origins of economic planning in World War I. The text analyses the link between war and planning in Russian and German thought. In doing so, we argue that the Bolsheviks’ positive assessment of the techniques of wartime mobilisation, influenced by the work of German economist Rudolf Hilferding, was foundational to their vision of organising the economy through the state.

Emigration with a Pulled Handbrake: Friedrich A. Lutz's Internal Methodenstreit

This article reconstructs the path of the German economist Friedrich A. Lutz (1901–75) to American economics. The correspondence with his former teacher Walter Eucken, the founder of the Freiburg school, constitutes a crucial yet unexplored source for the article. Through Lutz's case, this article demonstrates the growing gulf between German and Anglo-Saxon economics during the late 1930s. In his native Germany, Lutz was trained in methodologically and institutionally focused economics, which differed fundamentally from the mathematical economics dominating Anglo-Saxon academia. He realized that an academic career in the United States would be impossible if he did not adapt to the new methods and if he did not abandon the methods of the German tradition. This gave rise to his internal Methodenstreit. After his emigration in 1938, he constantly experienced doubts and tensions because he was convinced that without considering institutions, mathematical economics could never explain the occurrence and essence of macroeconomic phenomena. Despite his stellar career at Princeton, it was only after his move to Zurich in 1953, where he taught history and theory of socioeconomics for the rest of his life, that Lutz could reconcile this internal Methodenstreit.

Spatial Economics and Totalitarian Temptations

Among the German spatial economists August Lösch is arguably the one who has had the biggest lasting influence on international academic literature. After his death in May 1945, a legend was created according to which he was a fierce opponent to national socialism. This was part of the attempts of his former colleagues and of the German economics community at large to disguise the extent of their own involvement and their agency in advising economic and social policies of the Nazi regime. The political context of spatial planning during the Second World War was particularly damning as it in many cases presupposed genocides on nations such as Poles and Russians and on religious groups such as Jews. It was precisely with regards to Eastern Europe that Lösch’s theoretical contributions were deemed to be particularly valuable. However, the legend of his supposed opposition contained a grain of truth as he was indeed appalled by central aspects of Nazi ideology. Yet, the ability of a totalitarian regime such as the “Third Reich” to integrate the contributions of a brilliant mind and somebody who saw himself as an independent and unpolitical scholar into its decentralized and collaborative spatial research apparatus is what makes Lösch’s biography particularly interesting and relevant today.

CARL BALLOD (KARLIS BALODIS): REFLECTIONS ON THE SOCIETY OF THE FUTURE

The article shows the diffi cult path of fi nding approaches to the society of the future by Karl Ballod (Karlis Balodis), a well-known Russian, Latvian and German economist, demographer and statistician, professor at the Berlin and Latvian universities, later presented by him in his work “A look into the state of the future. Production and Consumption in a Welfare State”, put by the leaders of the young Soviet state as the basis of the GOELRO plan.

Application of the Concept of the Knowledge Economy with the Tools of the German Economic Experience in Accordance with the Lebanese Economic Environment

Perhaps the most important thing about this study is that it is the first attempt in the Lebanese economic system to study the concept of the knowledge economy, how to apply it, and the possibility of its application in the local Lebanese economy, in addition to its application. The model of the German economic experience in light of the current economic situation and the challenges of rapid technological development.The study examines the application of the German economic experience model and knowledge economy in Lebanese economic environments, considering the opinions of institutions, companies, and economic actors.Research aims to develop a Lebanese economic model avoiding globalization’s external influences and preventing collapse.Study interviews 30 economists and administrators in Lebanon to explore the application of the German economic model and knowledge economy together.The results of the interviews were very positive, and the experts confirmed that there is a possibility to apply a large part of the factors on which the German economic experience relied, and most of these factors have been mentioned.Analysis reveals potential merger of German experience and knowledge economy techniques, with acceptance and encouragement. Priority is given to finding a new formula and proposing a detailed implementation business model.