Recession and a deadlocked government: Is the German economy going down the drain? | To the Point
There is no point in trying to sugarcoat it: Germany, once admired for its efficiency , is stuck in a state of permanent crisis and has to watch as almost all its neighbors overtake it in key areas such as growth and innovation. Germany’s problems are fundamental, its infrastructure outdated. The collapsed Bridge in Dresden is a haunting symbol of Germany’s faltering ability to hold up under pressure. A difficult future awaits, but the restructuring of industry is faltering and the ambitious switch to sustainable production is only inching forward. Why is that? Are companies not doing enough or is government policy stifling innovation? We’ll analyze the reasons and discuss what needs to happen. We ask: Recession and a deadlocked government: Is the German economy going down the drain?
Our guests:
Valerie Höhne, journalist with Germany’s leading liberal broadsheet Süddeutsche Zeitung
Vendeline von Bredow, Berlin correspondent for the Economist magazine
John Kampfner, British writer and journalist.
Chapters:
00:00 Germany is facing many challenges
03:10 Things are bad and getting worse; that’s the feeling in Germany
04:00 Insecurity spreads; government not addressing this
05:10 Dysfunctional government in Germany
06:15 Government lacking in true leadership
07:30 When Germany is in crisis, EU is in a huge crisis
10:15 A lot of things are not working and the government doesn’t give orientation
12:30 US infrastructure is also weak, but there, the economy is growing
13:30 Risk-taking-culture in Germany is weak
14:13 The environment for companies and entrepreneurship in Germany is not good
16:10 The labour market in Germany is very complicated and too regulated
17:20 Science and innovation still is very strong in Germany
20:20 The government had a tough start, inherited many problems
21:30 Economics minister Habeck made a lot of mistakes
23:40 Scholz showed leadership after the war broke out, but then he retreated
24:30 This coalition can’t solve the problems
Credit to : DW News