How Germany is able to run the world’s second largest export economy • Hacker News Board

Re: How Germany is able to run the world’s second largest export economy

#211

Post by noobdood » Tue, Jan 21, 2020, 7:35 PM UTC

ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #29

JanSt wrote: post #17

„ France and the UK were opposed to German reunification, and attempted to influence the Soviet Union to stop it.[8] However, in late 1989 France extracted German commitment to the Monetary Union in return for support for German reunification.[9]“ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_euro

Yeah, France wanted to use the Euro currency to reign in the German economy. Funny how that ended up backfiring decades later with Germany running the show.

rein

Horse, not rule, although meanings overlap a bit .

Re: How Germany is able to run the world’s second largest export economy

#212

Post by eunos » Tue, Jan 21, 2020, 7:35 PM UTC

paganel wrote: post #141

ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Indeed, expats are lured here thinking Germany is the Promised Land but realize too late that they can't afford to buy a family worthy home on your average white collar wage and due to how German corporate politics work, most of the non-natives are locked out of the lucrative careers even when speaking the language. Like someone said, Germany is a rich country of poor people.

> Germany is a rich country of poor people I suspect something similar happens across the border in Switzerland. I visited the French part of it a couple of times about 3 years ago and I was surprised how crowded the second-hand clothes stores in downtown Lausanne were (and the fact that there were any SH stores in that area at all). Also, looking at the prices in there and unless there’s some hidden UBI system up an…

I consider being thrifty is a better explanation coupled with the Calvinist mentality which encourages being frugal.

Re: How Germany is able to run the world’s second largest export economy

#213

Post by jotm » Tue, Jan 21, 2020, 7:36 PM UTC

arethuza wrote: post #66

nothis wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Economics in a nutshell: "There must be a single number that explains all of this!" It can't possibly be that Germany actually built its exports based on quality. That can't be replicated by tweaking some tax laws.

A few years back I worked for a large engineering services company (that nobody has ever heard of) and one of the senior managers from Germany described the quality of Mercedes-Benz cars as a "national disgrace" - he was genuinely upset about it.

Well, yeah, it's widely accepted that the W124 was the last "quality" (i.e. long-lasting) car made by Mercedes. They switched to a more planned obsolescence production in the early 90's.

Re: How Germany is able to run the world’s second largest export economy

#214

Post by dsfyu404ed » Tue, Jan 21, 2020, 7:39 PM UTC

helij wrote: post #177

reaperducer wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Especially in certain product lines. A relative uses a particular medial device with parts that wear out. She purchases the regular replacement bits off Amazon which are made in China and only last 30 to 60 days. When she can afford it, she buys from the OEM's online store which has parts that are made in Germany or The Netherlands. They fit better, work better, and last up to six months. The difference is the Chines…

I don't get this. Is there really so little room in her budget for her to do this? It doesn't make sense to me.

I'd bet big bucks that the situation includes details that are omitted for the sake of brevity and narrative.

And I say this as someone who has a few hundred of the highest end Bosch and lowest end mystery manufacturer Chinese sawzall blades within arms reach.

Re: How Germany is able to run the world’s second largest export economy

#215

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Jan 21, 2020, 7:40 PM UTC

tathougies wrote: post #205

nostromo wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm reminded of Trader Joe's -- a chain most people think of as a California-based chain of health food stores -- but has actually been owned by a media-shy German family for 40+ years.

Trader joes was not a german export. It was started by a Californian, and sold to a german family.

[deleted]

Re: How Germany is able to run the world’s second largest export economy

#216

Post by jotm » Tue, Jan 21, 2020, 7:42 PM UTC

mambojumbo wrote: post #124

zwieback wrote: post #31

Not a word about the fact that Germany simply produces desirable products? Somehow that has to factor in. Financial policy and the education system favors a conservative manufacturing sector that incrementally improves upon what Germany has done for decades. While I got my ME degree in Germany my dad, who is a solid state physicist, spent all his energy trying to accelerate the development of a German electronics sec…

German products arent as high quality ad they used to be and most if them are pretty stale in terms of innovation. Sure they change the shape of cars and add new leds and interior eye candy but that is not progress. Imo german cars are low quality and lack diversity, and same goes for most machinery made in that country. US, Japanese, South Korean or other EU made products can be of similar or higher quality. Germany…

Well, it's a junkyard of German cars because they just last longer and are cheap to fix (parts are from in Germany/EU, too). Japanese cars are second, simply because the number of German cars is so high.

Re: How Germany is able to run the world’s second largest export economy

#217

Post by jotm » Tue, Jan 21, 2020, 7:44 PM UTC

makomk wrote: post #209

gdrulia wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Disclaimer: I'm from Lithuania, little eastern Europe country. There has been a lot of talk about eastern Europe being a junkyard for german cars (or old european cars in general) in recents times, not the least locally, especially by politicians trying to justify weird decisions. Most of the time one vital factor remains overlooked, people don't have money for anything else here. German cars are valued by most the p…

There's a lot of controversy about eastern Europe becoming a junkyard for old German cars because those cars produce lots of pollution that affects the health of everyone in the country, which is the whole reason Germany and the other rich European countries don't want them anymore. Also, to add insult to injury, not only is the EU not allowing countries to block imports of those old polluting cars, they simultaneous…

> those cars produce lots of pollution

They do tax it, that's why a 1000 Euro car from Germany costs twice that once registered (or more) :/

Re: How Germany is able to run the world’s second largest export economy

#218

Post by olivermarks » Tue, Jan 21, 2020, 7:45 PM UTC

cycrutchfield wrote: post #198

olivermarks wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would argue globalization

Don’t hide behind the G word. You’ve already alluded to it in your other posts. Come on out and say it if you truly believe in speaking freely. We want to see the ugliness in full view.

Do you have an argu ment or viewpoint to share or just fly by critiquing? 'We want to see the ugliness in full view' how many of 'we' are you?

Re: How Germany is able to run the world’s second largest export economy

#219

Post by dsfyu404ed » Tue, Jan 21, 2020, 7:47 PM UTC

reaperducer wrote: post #183

helij wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't get this. Is there really so little room in her budget for her to do this? It doesn't make sense to me.

It sounds like you've never been poor.

Speaking generally (not about this unnamed medical device):

Poor people can scrape up $15 if it means the difference between 6mo and 2mo. Sure there's some times when the purchase falls on a week between paydays and you buy the cheap (cheap up front, more expensive on a per day basis) version but the next time (or maybe the time after that) the purchase will need to be made at a more convenient time and you will have the extra $15 to spend on the one that has a lower overall cost.

Having experience with the $25 model is the barrier to entry, not the $15 difference in cost. It's not hard to justify $15 when the overall cost is lower and the expense is less than monthly. It's very hard to justify the $15 when you don't yet know if the product will last long enough to make the overall cost lower. And lets be honest here, products where +X% the cost gets you >X% the utility are microscopically rare compared to products where that is not the case.

They're poor, not stupid. They can do basic math and determine which product satisfies their needs more cheaply on an ongoing basis. For low dollar amounts

Re: How Germany is able to run the world’s second largest export economy

#220

Post by Tainnor » Tue, Jan 21, 2020, 7:49 PM UTC

glofish wrote: post #200

magduf wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Look, I like I lot of things about Germany, but the supermarkets here are a joke. There's more product variety in a single Whole Foods in America than there is in the entire combined inventory of all German supermarkets. You've got to be kidding. German supermarkets are just small, because they don't have the cheap real-estate that suburban stores in the USA have, but the food is far higher-quality than in mainstrea…

The Aldi in the Americas (midwest) are not even remotely similar in quality to the Aldi's of Europe. Walmart supercenters have much higher quality - every larger town has mainstream and cheap grocers substantially better than Aldi in every respect. To me, Aldi for food is like Goodwill for clothes. I understand that some people hit hard times and have no other options, but my perception is that if you shop there it p…

I personally don't like discounters (including Aldi), but a lot of people that are not in financial trouble go shopping there. Sometimes even well-off people. Germans can be very frugal, and this is especially true when it comes to food (although there are signs that this is starting to change).