Firstly, it has not served its purpose of inspiring people for reforms – quite the opposite: the SPD and CDU have plummeted to historic lows despite their much-praised reform zeal. Worse still, the constant droning about Germany’s decline has only confirmed the authorities’ narrative. The AfD is stronger than ever. Thomas Fricke, head of the Forum for a New Economy, discusses the fatal game with the pressure of hardship, why the Chancellor is now calling for positive thinking – and why seats in large football arenas should be socialized – with co-host Martin Kaelble in the third episode of New Economy Sounds.
Everything Bad in Germany? – On the Failed Attempt to Increase Willingness to Reform Through Hardship
The worse the situation appears, the more willing people will be to go along with the much-invoked painful reforms. This calculation by lobbies and mostly conservative economists is well-known – but this time it seems to be failing fatally.