scholarly journals The Federal States of Germany – Analysis and Measurement of Development Using Taxonomic Methods

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 49-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Jurkowska
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
German Economy ◽  
West Germany ◽  
Demographic Situation ◽  
Federal States ◽  
German States ◽  
Socio Economic Development ◽  
New States ◽  
East German ◽  
Taxonomic Methods

This article presents an analysis of the socio-economic development of the 16 federal states of Germany as compared to the whole country. The main goals of the analysis are to measure the development with the use of selected taxonomic methods, to examine the similarities and differences between the states inasmuch as that development is concerned, as well as to illustrate the distance existing between the new eastern states (Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia) and the remaining states of Germany. The analysis is preceded by an illustration of the present socio-economic situation of the German states. Germany is characterized by internal diversity as regards the socio-economic development, and the policy of supporting the East German economy has failed to reach its goals. An unfavourable demographic situation is a factor that effectively inhibits the development of the new states. A falling birth rate, an increasing population beyond retirement age, as well as great numbers of people emigrating to West Germany all contribute to the depopulation of the eastern states. The taxonomic analysis of the level of socio-economic development of Germany has provided information about the diversity of that development level, but it has also made it possible to determine and set the direction of development for particular states.

‘Another brick in the wall’. On the origins of nationalism in the ‘new’ federal states of Germany

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-125
Author(s):  
A. V. Belinskii ◽  
M. V. Khorol’skaya
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Party ◽  
East Germany ◽  
Local Population ◽  
German Economy ◽  
West Germany ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Federal Republic Of Germany ◽  
Federal States ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
East German

A relatively broad support enjoyed by the populist and nationalist parties and movements (AfD, National Democratic Party of Germany, PEGIDA), as well as a higher rate of hate crimes in the eastern part of the Federal Republic of Germany raise a question on the nature of nationalism in this region. The present paper examines the causes of widespread xenophobic and nationalist sentiments in the ‘new’ federal states. To this end, the authors address a wide range of social-political and psychological factors, focusing on the historical roots and causes of the recent rise of nationalism in East Germany. Particularly, the authors show that the right-wing parties took advantage of popular frustration caused by the collapse of the East German economy after the country’s reunification and massive unemployment by putting all the blame on migrants. Nevertheless, the causes of growing xenophobia in East Germany were far from being solely economic. For example, the authors underline the role of the politics of memory in the GDR and primarily the approaches of its leaders to the issues of the Nazi past and their attempts to draw on the country’s history to shape a new national identity. However, the failure of the state to provide an unbiased view on the national history, rigid official ideology and its alienation from the popular demands have led to the growing nationalism in the GDR. Besides, a number of other aspects is pointed out which have also fostered xenophobic sentiments in this part of the country. Unlike West Germany which started to accept labour migrants from Italy, Turkey and Yugoslavia back in 1950s, the GDR saw few foreigners and contacts between them and local population were limited. As a result, the paper not only helps to create a more detailed image of the East German nationalism but also to identify the underlying causes of the growing popularity of right-wing populist parties and movements in the FRG, most notably, the unfinished process of the country’s reunification and structural imbalances between the ‘old’ and the ‘new’ federal states.

Managing the Stress of Bringing the Economy in the Eastern German States to the Level of the Western German States

2002 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce Kirkcaldy ◽  
Lars-Eric Petersen ◽  
Gundula Hübner
Keyword(s):  
Locus Of Control ◽  
Occupational Stress ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Type A ◽  
West Germany ◽  
Federal States ◽  
German States ◽  
German Federal States ◽  
East German ◽  
Physical And Psychological Health

A select group of managers in the private and public sector working in the new and old German federal states were administered the German version of the Pressure Management Indicator (PMI; Williams, Kirkcaldy, & Cooper, 1999 ). Twenty-four scale scores were assessed encompassing diverse aspects of occupational stress, individual differences (type A, locus of control, and coping), and outcome variables (work satisfaction, physical and psychological health). Several differences were observed between those managers reared and educated in the former East Germany and those from the former West Germany. East-German managers, for example, were characterized by an external locus of control with regard to their jobs and revealed higher type A scores compared to their West-German counterparts. Furthermore, although there were no differences in the evaluation of working climate nor in subjectively perceived occupational stress, specific outcome variables such as self-reported physical and psychological health did differ between West- and East-German managers. The implications of these findings are discussed.

DEMOGRAPHY PROBLEMS OF ECONOMIC GROWTH IN CHINA

2021 ◽  
pp. 129-146
Author(s):  
Elena Pekhtereva ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Demographic Situation ◽  
The World ◽  
Socio Economic Development ◽  
Populous Country ◽  
Low Rate

The review examines the results of the December 2020 official census of the population of China, the most populous country in the world. It is noted that the Chinese government is seriously concerned about the low rate of population growth. The authorities fear that a slowdown in population growth and its aging while the size of the labour force is decreasing may seriously slow down economic growth. The opinions and statements of analysts on the prospects of the demographic situation in China in the context of its socio-economic development are presented.

Salts, Sewage, and Sulfurous Air

2019 ◽  
pp. 125-158
Author(s):  
Astrid M. Eckert
Keyword(s):  
Water Pollution ◽  
Sulfur Dioxide ◽  
Ecological Restoration ◽  
Industrial Waste ◽  
Environmental Problem ◽  
East Germany ◽  
Environmental Problems ◽  
West Germany ◽  
German States ◽  
East German

This chapter addresses a typical borderland environmental problem—transboundary air and water pollution. During the 1970s and 1980s, rivers carried eastern industrial waste and sewage into West Germany; the wind blew sulfur dioxide both ways. Their environmental interdependency forced both German states to the negotiating table, eventually producing the ineffectual Environmental Accords of 1987. The western encounter with eastern pollution through the interface of the inter-German border confronted West German authorities with early signs of East Germany’s dissolution. While they failed to grasp the message, their experience with East German pollution and the futile diplomatic efforts to curb it nonetheless generated the knowledge about the nature and extent of the GDR’s environmental problems that became the prerequisite for the post-1990 ecological restoration of East Germany.

Wage Adjustment, Competitiveness and Unemployment – East Germany after Unification

2009 ◽  
Vol 229 (2-3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Werner Smolny
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
East Germany ◽  
German Economy ◽  
West Germany ◽  
Relative Wage ◽  
Wage Setting ◽  
East And West Germany ◽  
Market Situation ◽  
East German ◽  
Wage Adjustment

SummaryNearly 20 years after unification large differences of the labor market situation in East and West Germany persist. Wages are still considerably lower, the unemployment rate is about twice of the West German level, and the competitiveness of the East German economy seems to be low. This paper analyzes the process of (relative) wage adjustment in East Germany and the resulting development of competitiveness and unemployment differentials. We present estimates of the wage adjustment in East vs. West Germany based on wage convergence and effects of unemployment on wage growth. The central focus of the paper is the empirical analysis of the interaction of the development of competitiveness and the labor market situation. The results reveal large equilibrium gaps for wages and unemployment which are based on the wage-setting process, the behavior of competitiveness and the adjustment of unemployment.

Living Next Door to Germany: Denmark and the German Problem

2006 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 453-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
KARL CHRISTIAN LAMMERS
Keyword(s):  
Federal Republic ◽  
European Country ◽  
German Democratic Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
West Germany ◽  
West European Country ◽  
Special Position ◽  
German States ◽  
East German ◽  
West European

This article analyses Danish relations with the two German states. After 1949 Denmark found itself in a special position as the only West European country that was neighbour to both Germanys, having a land border with the Federal Republic and a sea border and important communications links with the German Democratic Republic. But Denmark recognised only the Federal Republic as the legitimate representative of Germany. Germany had historically constituted a serious problem for Denmark, and even in the after-war period Danish relations with its big neighbour were beset with problems. After 1955, when the minority question was settled and Denmark and the FRG were both members of NATO, relations with West Germany improved. Relations with the GDR were much more troubled because Denmark was to an extent forced to bow to West German interests, but could not ignore the existence of the East German neighbour state.

scholarly journals East-West Couples: Distribution, Characteristics and Stability

2014 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Lois
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
West Germany ◽  
Distribution Characteristics ◽  
Federal States ◽  
German Federal States ◽  
Cohabiting Couples ◽  
East German ◽  
Unmarried Cohabitation ◽  
East West

SOEP data were used to examine relationships consisting of one partner socialised in West Germany and one in East Germany and who presently reside in the “old” (former West German) or “new” (newly formed East German) federal states. The estimated share of east-west couples among all marriages or cohabiting couples rises continuously within the observed period reaching approximately two and eleven percent respectively by 2009. The specific characteristics of east-west couples are that their employment-related division of labour is relatively egalitarian, above-average the partners are of different confessions and practice different religions, at least one of the partners is frequently divorced and there is also a strong tendency towards unmarried cohabitation. Besides the place of socialisation, the present place of residence has an independent impact on the economic situation, division of labour and marriage propensity. Analyses of relationship stability reveal that east-west couples exhibit a relatively high risk of separation. This is partly due to religious differences between the partners, but primarily to the low marriage propensity and the overrepresentation of divorced persons within this type of relationship.

scholarly journals Secularization, Religious Denominations, and Differences in Regional Characteristics: The State of Research and a Regional Statistical Investigation for Germany

Religions ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 657
Author(s):  
Christian Diller ◽  
Philipp Gareis
Keyword(s):  
Religious Affiliation ◽  
Statistical Investigation ◽  
Regional Differentiation ◽  
Federal States ◽  
Regional Characteristics ◽  
German States ◽  
East German ◽  
Socio Economic Variables ◽  
State Of Research ◽  
The Relationship

The paper pursues the question of the relationship between secularization, religious denominations, and regional characteristics. A literature review leads to the formation of six hypotheses. The analysis of regional statistics for Germany shows clear regional differences in the distribution of the denominational affiliation as well as the secularization of the population. Traditional differences between the federal states and their sub-regions are still recognizable. In particular, there is an obvious difference in secularization between the East German and West German states in relation to the significance of the two large Christian denominations. These differences between the paths of regional development and degree of secularization are so large that most of the hypothesis testing on the association between religious affiliation and demographic and socio-economic variables resulted in different findings for the two areas. Further research is required to pursue more regional differentiation and to include non-Christian faiths in the investigations.

scholarly journals Hidden Behind the Wall: West German State Building and the Emergence of the Iron Curtain

2011 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 506-535 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sagi Schaefer
Keyword(s):  
German Economy ◽  
State Building ◽  
West Germany ◽  
State Agencies ◽  
Iron Curtain ◽  
Berlin Wall ◽  
German State ◽  
East And West Germany ◽  
East German

It is widely accepted that the inter-German border was constructed by East German authorities to halt the emigration to the west, which had damaged the East German economy and undermined the East German state agencies' power. This article argues that this is an inaccurate understanding, which mistakenly treats perceptions and insights gained from studying the Berlin Wall as representative of the mostly rural border between East and West Germany. It emphasizes crucial transformations of frontier society during the 1950s, highlighting the important role of western as well as eastern policy in shaping them.

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