Given how screwed up our economy is, combined with rampant political corruption via political contributions and so on, I wonder if we can get a do-over?

Germany’s success in 2010 has surprised most United States analysts, who tend to start every sentence about Europe with “sclerotic”. However, it is by no means the only country that is recovering from the great recession in a remarkably healthy fashion. China, Chile and Singapore are also stand-outs in this respect, while the United States, Ireland and southern Europe have done poorly. This year’s economic events can teach us again about which models of capitalism can be successful.
[…]
The German economic model works very well for a country with perpetually high labor costs. Education and training are of great importance, as are engineering skills – engineers have a much higher social position in German societies than in Anglo-American ones – while housing finance is given a low priority, since it is correctly regarded as unproductive.

Finance plays little role in the system – it was notable during the 2008 debacle to what extent the German banks were helpless victims of Anglo-American shenanigans, with little creative role of their own. The typical successful German company is both smaller and longer-established than its US counterpart, with powerful shareholders who prevent management from engaging in self-dealing and mindless empire-building.

Read the rest of the article for comparisons of other countries and ours.




  1. smartalix says:

    MikeN,

    Germany has small government?

  2. JimD says:

    Of course, every other “Advanced Industrial Nation” had NATIONAL HEALTH CARED !!! They are not victims of a RAPACIOUS MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENT !!! No one goes bankrupt when they get sick !!! So, yes, Germany is way ahead of the US of A !!!

  3. smartalix says:

    Pedro,

    I lived in Germany for 15 years over a 17-year period, 2 as a soldier and 13 as a civilian from ’80 to ’97 (’84 to ’86 in NYC). you obviously know dick about Germany (You may be right about Canada, but they aren’t the country in the spotlight here.

    There is a tree-hugging green element there, a very strong one. That’s where the homeopathic issue stems from, not dissatisfaction with the German system. I’ve had treatment in US, VA, and German systems and I can tell you straight that not only is there nothing wrong with German medicine, they make our systems look like crap.

  4. bobbo, how do you know what you know and how do you change your mind says:

    #46–Pedro==HOLY CRAP!! An entire longest post ever and not a loon-bomb anywhere. And I always thought you were a janitor in San Diego? ((Ha, ha.))

    good for you. I guess travelling doesn’t always make someone smarter. OMG!!!!!! How dumb were you??

    What a mismash of conflated and conflicted arguments you use. You agree/admit there is a strong tree hugging enthusiasm in Germany, then blithely ignore it. How Pedro.

    You agree/admit the US system needs an overhaul but then blithely ignore the other systems doing a better job at half the cost. How Pedro.

    I hope your donkey never dies Pedro. Dying alone is a sad, sad, thing.

  5. bobbo, how do you know what you know and how do you change your mind says:

    Pedro, you’re so silly. Like an idiot savant without the savant.

    Hee, hee. Don’t ever change.

  6. smartalix says:

    Pedro,

    I apologize for saying you know dick about the German system. I will, however, maintain that you are either sadly misinformed or being disingenuous.

  7. smartalix says:

    Not so rosy, but better infant mortality, longer life expectancy, better social systems for the poor, better worker treatment, better unemployment insurance, better educational system, and a menmtality that does not treat non-human entities as better than humans.

    I will hasten to say that I am not am America-basher, but I do think we have real issues in this country that cannot be solved by simply giving corporations their head and ignoring the role of regulation and government in society.

    For example, I believe the country should emulate social policies similar to that of NY and Massachusetts, states that manage to perform in today’s marketplace with high taxation, lots of social services, high cost of living, and high regulation.


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