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

conradbastable.com

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

#331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting. I live in a "third world" country (Argentina, one of the worst-performing economies in the world) and just had an interview with a German company (a large SaaS in Berlin) offering relocation to me and my family. Not sure what to do, I have a shit boring remote email marketing job for a US company. But with my small US salary, I live quite well here (own a big house w/ 1000 sqrt. m. garden in a nice small…

If you are interested, I would be happy to answer your questions and share some information about living in Berlin - rent, taxes, kids, salaries. You can ping me via email dmitry.makesense at gmail

Thanks! I'll definitely email you if I pass the next interview stage :)

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

#332
post #319

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm german. In 2004/05 I was in argentina a whole year as an exchange studen. Last year I visited my guest family again. Let me tell you that argentinians are very good in talking argentina way worse than it is. I also travel quite a bit, argentina is _far_ from being third world. In Berlin you will only be able to afford a smallish rented flat with a typical IT salary... used cars in good condition on the other hand…

Awesome thanks! I live in a small city near Cordoba surrounded by mountains, lakes and rivers, and don't like big cities like Buenos Aires or Rosario. How much do you think is needed for renting a medium comfortable appartment or house in Berlin? In a not expensive neighborhood, but neither a bad one. Will send you a PM if I have more questions :)

I live in Braunschweig myself, but you can check rent prices for Berlin for example here: https://www.immowelt.de/immobilienpreise/berlin/mietspiegel so now probably about 12€/m² - obviously more expensive in better locations. What I heard from friends the market in Berlin is a bit difficult so really get that relocation service if you plan on moving to Berlin. Those prices typically include tax. Salary numbers on the other hand are before tax. You can roughly estimate your income tax with simple online tools: https://www.brutto-netto-rechner.info/ (ya hablas aleman?) It's way higher than e.g. USA, probably similiar to Argentina.

I think i spend about one week near Cordoba in 2004 but I don't quite remember... My guest family back then lived in Ushuaia (very very beautiful landscape!) where I spend most of the time, but also a while with their extended family in Rosario. Last year I revisited Ushuaia again but spend most of the time in Tigre where my guest family lives now.

Feel free to contact me by pm or mail (kiney at-sign kiney.de)

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

#333

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From someone living and working in Germany - when enumerating your quality of life, you are living a good life! This is nothing you could get in Germany. You would exchange living in a sunny country, where you own a house and your kids are able to go to a private school with cold and rainy weather (besides summer but summer is short), renting a much smaller apartment compared to your house and a shitty public educati…

Thanks! I appreciate your comments. Anyway, schooling systems are quite different between ARG and DEU, in Argentina private schools are quite common and the quality of these is quite bad when compared with German Gymnasiums. I know that private schools in Germany are quite uncommon. I attended a Gymnasium in Germany for some months when I was a teenager many many years ago (I'm nearing my 40s) and found the quality o…

Even though most schools are public, quality very much depends on location. Germany is federal and education is responsibility of the "Länder" (like provincia). In Argentina i visited a private school which was more or less comparable to the my school in germany (Gymnasium "part" of a Gesamtschule in Niedersachsen). Not sure about the quality in Berlin which is notoriously broke.

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

#334
post #90

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…

He does talk about Germany's 200 year manufacturing excellence. That doesn't explain why in 1992 Germany had a massive trade deficit and UK had an equally large trade surplus, or how they've been able to avoid the fate of Japan.

These were the years shortly after reunfication in 1990. The reunfication hit West-Germany during a econonmic boom, so the economy was already producing at capacity and the additional demand shock from East-Germany could not be covered by West-German production. As a result imports raised and exports products were diverted to East-Germany at the same time and for a short time the trade balance became negative and some of the trade balances of Germany's neighbours temporarily improved due to higher demand from East-Germany.

BTW: It is a misconception that a trade deficit and a poor economy are related.

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

#335
post #90

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…

He does talk about Germany's 200 year manufacturing excellence. That doesn't explain why in 1992 Germany had a massive trade deficit and UK had an equally large trade surplus, or how they've been able to avoid the fate of Japan.

Japans economy was much more government managed than completely free at that time. Specifically the Japans Ministry of International Trade and Industry ("MITI") was steering the economy, mainly be using a control called "windows guidance". By given "window guidance" the commercial banks the Bank of Japan controlled which segment of economy was allowed to get what amount of credit. This turned out to be highly competitve compared to the western model of a completely free market economy.

This system was later abandoned due to pressure of the US to make the banking system and the BoJ "independent". The result from this operation was that the commercial banks diverted more credit away from real investment to financial markets and assets investments, which in turn resulted in an unsustainable real estate boom in Japan.

From of this real estate boom Japan never recovered when the bubble burst.

BTW: The Bank of China uses nowadays window guidance as a system to steer the economy - and seems to be pretty successfull with it.

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

#336
post #129
post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Imagine a government who could be financially prudent.. Sorry but this is not why 'Politics is becoming extreme'. The same way that not every citizen pays much attention to national debt until their on the hook for the bailout. Less drama is better. Strong and steady economy and forward planning. I would take that over : "Hey lets just spend money we don't have, we'll tax is later or inflation or screw it, worst case…

Are you here actually struggeling to find a kita place for your kid, or seeing how refugees just get dumped into ghettos ? Because if you arent ... well then. There’s honestly something very fundamentally wrong. And its very irresponsible and honestly nigh defamatory by trying to blame the larger mood on “posts such as mine”, hell im not even a conservatist, actually a moderate leftist that thinks those cries for att…

There is something very very wrong, absolutely, but the fiscal conservatism is not to blame. At all, if anything it facilitates long term stability(relative stability).

I get so frustrated when somone with conviction says : "oh the problem is the government is throwing its citizens into incredible debt, which leads to inflation and other issues."

And then say : "Oh the government is not spending enough on the needey. And its causing societal issues."

I'm not here to finger point or inflame. But it's just as irresponsible to pin it all on the government looking after its nations fiscal stability.

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

#337
post #333

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks! I appreciate your comments. Anyway, schooling systems are quite different between ARG and DEU, in Argentina private schools are quite common and the quality of these is quite bad when compared with German Gymnasiums. I know that private schools in Germany are quite uncommon. I attended a Gymnasium in Germany for some months when I was a teenager many many years ago (I'm nearing my 40s) and found the quality o…

Even though most schools are public, quality very much depends on location. Germany is federal and education is responsibility of the "Länder" (like provincia). In Argentina i visited a private school which was more or less comparable to the my school in germany (Gymnasium "part" of a Gesamtschule in Niedersachsen). Not sure about the quality in Berlin which is notoriously broke.

Thanks! I didn't know that German schools quality varied between locations/Länder.

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

#338
post #315

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fertility rate in Germany is currently at 1.57.

That rate is inflated by foreign mothers. The rate for German mothers is much lower: https://theatlas.com/charts/S1TgULGJe Its the same throughout Europe, the fertility rates for native women are much lower than for migrant women. Countries with high migrant populations like Sweden, Germany, France, UK have misleading total fertility rate statistics.

You have old numbers. We have now 2020. German numbers include only people with German nationality. The concept of 'native' German mothers is bogus and was last used under Adolf Hitler.

There is also no reason why migrants or their children can't lead companies. See Steve Jobs, Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, ...

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

#339

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> solid state physicist, spent all his energy trying to accelerate the development of a German electronics sector. Out of cursiosity: What did he try to do, and what organisations was he using?

He was at the Max Planck Institute at the time but on a lot of state and federal commissions to figure out how to get German industry on a fast track to compete with silicon valley.

Hello Zwieback,

thanks for coming back to me on that matter. I am a MPG alumni myself :) Would you be up for a short chat? My email address is in my profile.

Cheers!

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

#340
post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you here actually struggeling to find a kita place for your kid, or seeing how refugees just get dumped into ghettos ? Because if you arent ... well then. There’s honestly something very fundamentally wrong. And its very irresponsible and honestly nigh defamatory by trying to blame the larger mood on “posts such as mine”, hell im not even a conservatist, actually a moderate leftist that thinks those cries for att…

There is something very very wrong, absolutely, but the fiscal conservatism is not to blame. At all, if anything it facilitates long term stability(relative stability). I get so frustrated when somone with conviction says : "oh the problem is the government is throwing its citizens into incredible debt, which leads to inflation and other issues." And then say : "Oh the government is not spending enough on the needey.…

My argument is actually that the government should develop the infrastructure, and promote more health, social and educational programs -

I see how the local municipalities are over worked and understaffed ... its been years now like this! Its not the needy i mean, jordan peterson says when the middle class gets a cold, the lower class gets a pneumonia ... and the AFD is the pneumonia, in my opinion.

I didn't mean to sound as i did that i want the govt. to spend on the needy, i want them to build more, very few countries have so much, yet develop so slowly. Look the netherlands ... denmark too! Not thet they dont have problems too, but i think they do more as social states. Granted, they dont have the baggage germany has.

Im actually curious, what’s your take? How could things be improved? An honest question

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