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East Germany's economic history is typically told as a story of the
unravelling of an inherently flawed system. Yet, while the system's
inefficiency is undeniable, its economic history was much richer
than its comparatively poor economic performance suggests. For many
who lived there, it was a system that, over its forty years, was
capable of achievements and generally functioned at bearable
levels. This book combines the insights of behavioural economics
with archival research to peel away layers of rhetoric and
assumptions about the East German economy and explore aspects of
that underlying functionality. Through a series of cases studies
that examine the establishment of socialist workplaces, the
searches for productivity growth and efficiency, and the emergence
of financial crisis, the book considers the system from the
perspective of the humans who operated it and made the decisions
that made it work. Unencumbered by political preconceptions, it
offers a more realistic understanding of East German economic
history than that derived from stagnant debates about the clash of
systems. The new perspectives and approaches presented demonstrate
that, extracted from its Cold War context, East Germany's economic
history can be analysed for what it was, rather than for what it
symbolised.
East Germany’s economic history is typically told as a story of
the unravelling of an inherently flawed system. Yet, while the
system’s inefficiency is undeniable, its economic history was
much richer than its comparatively poor economic performance
suggests. For many who lived there, it was a system that, over its
forty years, was capable of achievements and generally functioned
at bearable levels. This book combines the insights of behavioural
economics with archival research to peel away layers of rhetoric
and assumptions about the East German economy and explore aspects
of that underlying functionality. Through a series of cases studies
that examine the establishment of socialist workplaces, the
searches for productivity growth and efficiency, and the emergence
of financial crisis, the book considers the system from the
perspective of the humans who operated it and made the decisions
that made it work. Unencumbered by political preconceptions, it
offers a more realistic understanding of East German economic
history than that derived from stagnant debates about the clash of
systems. The new perspectives and approaches presented demonstrate
that, extracted from its Cold War context, East Germany’s
economic history can be analysed for what it was, rather than for
what it symbolised. Â
Focusing on the great population movement of British emigrants
before 1914, this book provides a perspective on the relationship
between empire and globalisation. It shows how distinct structures
of economic opportunity developed around the people who settled
across a wider British World through the co-ethnic networks they
created. Yet these networks could also limit and distort economic
growth. The powerful appeal of ethnic identification often made
trade and investment with racial 'outsiders' less appealing,
thereby skewing economic activities toward communities perceived to
be 'British'. By highlighting the importance of these networks to
migration, finance and trade, this book contributes to debates
about globalisation in the past and present. It reveals how the
networks upon which the era of modern globalisation was built
quickly turned in on themselves after 1918, converting racial,
ethnic and class tensions into protectionism, nationalism and
xenophobia. Avoiding such an outcome is a challenge faced today.
Focusing on the great population movement of British emigrants
before 1914, this book provides a perspective on the relationship
between empire and globalisation. It shows how distinct structures
of economic opportunity developed around the people who settled
across a wider British World through the co-ethnic networks they
created. Yet these networks could also limit and distort economic
growth. The powerful appeal of ethnic identification often made
trade and investment with racial 'outsiders' less appealing,
thereby skewing economic activities toward communities perceived to
be 'British'. By highlighting the importance of these networks to
migration, finance and trade, this book contributes to debates
about globalisation in the past and present. It reveals how the
networks upon which the era of modern globalisation was built
quickly turned in on themselves after 1918, converting racial,
ethnic and class tensions into protectionism, nationalism and
xenophobia. Avoiding such an outcome is a challenge faced today.
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