Since the unification of East and West Germany.....there's often been talk among Germans that unification didn't really bring all the positive results that people expected.
There's a story on public TV in Germany today over a study by the Ifo Institute for Economic Research. What the study came to in terms of results.....the level of Germans living in eastern Germany today.....is the same level that existed in 1905....meaning that stagnation of the population has taken place.
The research folks went back and looked at two cities in particular.....Leipzig and Dresden. Without the war, both would be mega-cities in terms of population. But the war and the forty years of DDR changed the dynamics of the two cities.
Some of this has to do with the exodus of people after war (1945) and their desire to live in the US, French or British occupied areas of Germany (West Germany). Some has to do with the period of life after the wall came down, and the lack of jobs.
But one curious aspect which was pointed out.....the tons of money that came from the German government after 1990....primarily went to urbanized areas, and not rural regions. The researchers now advocate funding be more directed to the rural regions to attract people.
One of the curious dynamics of east and west Germany....can only be seen if you go and drive through these rural areas of eastern Germany. It's just not at the same level like you'd expect in Bavaria or Hessen. It has that look and feel of a country that is existing still in the 1960s. And this chatter of 'more' funding? I have serious doubts that such money exists or will pour into the region.
No comments:
Post a Comment