Synopses & Reviews
This book examines the state of the German model of capitalism today and offers an integrated analysis of the political economy of unified Germany. Challenging the traditional view that Germany is lagging behind other capitalist states in the transition to a postindustrial economy, it looks in detail at the expansion of the service sector, the transformation of the industrial sector and the development of the knowledge economy in unified Germany. Annesley finds that Germany is indeed becoming postindustrial, but that it is not developing in any single direction. She suggests that some regions perform well in services or the production of knowledge, while others have successfully transformed industrial production. This variation, it is argued, is the consequence of unification as well as older economic traditions which pre-date the industrial revolution.
Table of Contents
Introduction * The German model in crisis? * Defining postindustrialism: services, technological transformation and knowledge * Germany's service sector economy * Germany's technological transition * Germany as a knowledge economy * Postindustrial trajectories in unified Germany