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Not sure why you are down-voted. It's obvious that this is part of the trick and many economist have pointed it. It works the other way too, the currency of ot

Not sure why you are down-voted. It's obvious that this is part of the trick and many economist have pointed it. It works the other way too, the currency of other countries in the Eurozone is above what it would be without Germany, and all that without a fiscal stabilizer between the countries, like it do happens in the United States between different states. It's a recipe for disaster if the goal is an united Europe. Now, if the goal is to make Germany richer then we are in the correct path.

JanSt 9y ago
He is right in some way, but he also misses that german workers had to take a lot of cuts in pay, benefits and working conditions. While french workers only have a 35 hours work week and greece workers get to enjoy a long pension, germans work till 67 (soon 69) getting a lower pension (as percentage of pay) and mostly work 40 hours (for full time workers. Statistics are heavily skewed by (mostly) female part time work which is tax-incentized). Many countries did not adjust as hard to a globalized world as germany did (real wage loss in the last ten years while lowering pension, pushing back retirement age, etc.) edit: I upvoted him, just for the record
- RobertoG 9y ago
  Well, and that's part of the problem no? When the economy improves why is not the welfare of the Germans improving? If not that their people have a better life, what it means that an economy is going well then? We read about micro-jobs and how some retired people have to work again in one of the richest countries in the world. What is the point of a stronger economy if the life is harder for their inhabitants? I think that part of the answer is that this is a fight between countries only in appearance (or only as an excuse).
  - JanSt 9y ago
    The thing is that the conditions have changed considerably. In earlier times there were 3-4 people working for every retired person and the average retirement span was ~5 years. Now it's 2:1 and ~15 years in retirement. Something has to give, sadly...
    - RobertoG 9y ago
      Not sure if I follow the reasoning. If now 1 person makes the work of 4, why something have to give? Is not the economy producing more than in 'early times'?
- crdoconnor 9y ago
  "He is right in some way, but he also misses that german workers had to take a lot of cuts in pay, benefits and working conditions. " This didn't give Germany much of an economic stimulus although it did help to filter the wealth created by their export boom upward. Hartz was good for profits though, which a lot of economists seem to confuse with being "good for growth".

JanSt 9y ago

He is right in some way, but he also misses that german workers had to take a lot of cuts in pay, benefits and working conditions. While french workers only have a 35 hours work week and greece workers get to enjoy a long pension, germans work till 67 (soon 69) getting a lower pension (as percentage of pay) and mostly work 40 hours (for full time workers. Statistics are heavily skewed by (mostly) female part time work which is tax-incentized). Many countries did not adjust as hard to a globalized world as germany did (real wage loss in the last ten years while lowering pension, pushing back retirement age, etc.) edit: I upvoted him, just for the record

RobertoG 9y ago
Well, and that's part of the problem no? When the economy improves why is not the welfare of the Germans improving? If not that their people have a better life, what it means that an economy is going well then? We read about micro-jobs and how some retired people have to work again in one of the richest countries in the world. What is the point of a stronger economy if the life is harder for their inhabitants? I think that part of the answer is that this is a fight between countries only in appearance (or only as an excuse).
- JanSt 9y ago
  The thing is that the conditions have changed considerably. In earlier times there were 3-4 people working for every retired person and the average retirement span was ~5 years. Now it's 2:1 and ~15 years in retirement. Something has to give, sadly...
  - RobertoG 9y ago
    Not sure if I follow the reasoning. If now 1 person makes the work of 4, why something have to give? Is not the economy producing more than in 'early times'?
crdoconnor 9y ago
"He is right in some way, but he also misses that german workers had to take a lot of cuts in pay, benefits and working conditions. " This didn't give Germany much of an economic stimulus although it did help to filter the wealth created by their export boom upward. Hartz was good for profits though, which a lot of economists seem to confuse with being "good for growth".