Imbalance: Germany's Political Economy after the Social Democratic Century

Germany is a central case for research on comparative political economy, and this book assesses its political economy after the end of the social democratic 20th century to rethink its dominant properties and create new opportunities for using the country as a powerful lens into the evolution of democratic capitalism. It argues that analyzing contemporary Germany through the politics of imbalance provides much-needed traction for clarifying the causal dynamics that govern ongoing processes of institutional recomposition.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 260 pages
Publication date: 25 September 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Germany serves as a pivotal case study in the field of comparative political economy, igniting theoretical discussions on national disparities and historical trajectories. This comprehensive book evaluates Germany's political economy after the social democratic 20th century, aiming to reexamine its dominant features and unlock new avenues for utilizing the country as a powerful lens into the evolution of democratic capitalism. Through meticulous documentation of significant shifts and emerging tensions within the welfare state, corporate strategies, interest intermediation, and macroeconomic governance, the volume argues for analyzing contemporary Germany through the politics of imbalance rather than the long-standing paradigm of institutional stability. This conceptual reorientation around inequalities and disparities offers a much-needed framework for clarifying the causal dynamics governing ongoing processes of institutional recomposition. By delving into the politics of imbalance, the volume elucidates the systemic characteristics of capitalism, multivalent policy feedback, and the organizational foundations of creative adjustment as key vantage points for understanding emerging forms of distributional conflict within and beyond Germany. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of German Politics.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367683566