A Comparison of the Economic Situation of Tyrol, Austria in Three Key Periods: 1908-1913, 1945-1950 and 2008-2013

The development of a formerly poor state in a great European power to a rich state in a small European country is remarkable. But the interest of this article is mainly on the methodology which is based on the exclusive focus on three key periods in the history of the observed region. This methodology leads to a very specific understanding of development and economic growth. The periods chosen in this example are the five years before the First World War, as it was a period of development and growth that in the end led to the fundamental crisis in the 20th century. The second period consists of five years following the Second World War. This period was crucial, as many fundamental developments were laid in this time. The final period begins with another big economic crisis in 2008. The selection is based on three rationales. First, it allows a comparison of how the population deals with crisis. Second, it provides a cross-section of over hundred years, and third, the topicality of these years increase the relevance of the paper.