The Path Towards an "Agenda 2030"– ZEW Study Examines the Willingness to Reform in Germany

Demographic change, climate change, and the current state of public finances inevitably call for further reforms in Germany. But is there acceptance for such reforms at the moment? In a study on behalf of Stiftung Familienunternehmen (Foundation for Family Business), the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) examined the readiness of the Germans for changes, and how the population could be won over for reforms within the framework of a possible "Agenda 2030".

Prior to the 2013 Bundestag elections, the debate on economic policy in Germany is strongly characterised by the idea that Germany’s economy is invulnerable. This idea stems from the fact that, despite considerable turbulences in the past years, the German economy proofed to be more robust than other European economies, thanks to reforms in recent years. Although Germany benefits from past reforms, new reforms are largely unpopular at the moment, and among voters and policy-makers they are a controversial issue. In good times, however, reform fatigue is a frequent phenomenon among voters and policy-makers.

Against this background, the ZEW study with the title "Der Weg zu einer 'Agenda 2030'- Reformen zwischen objektiver Notwendigkeit und individueller Verweigerung" ("The Path Towards an 'Agenda 2030' – Reforms Between Objective Necessity and Individual Denial") examines the chances of and obstacles to future reforms in Germany within different policy areas, such as the health system, the labour market, or the reduction of public debt. It also highlights ways to raise the voters’ and policy-makers’ awareness of the still existing need for reforms.

Contact

PD Dr Friedrich Heinemann, Phone +49 621 1235-149, E-mail heinemann@zew.de