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From the "planning euphoria" to the "bitter economic truth": The transmission of economic ideas into German labour market policies in the 1960s and 2000s

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  • Pühringer, Stephan
  • Griesser, Markus

Abstract

This paper compares the interconnections between dominant economic thought and processes of policy-making in the area of labour market reforms in Germany in the late 1960s and the early 2000s. The transition in labour market policies in this period could be described as a change from an active to an activating approach. At the level of economic discourse these policy changes correspond to a paradigm shift from Keynesian to neoclassical/neoliberal economic thought. We investigated these changes by focussing on two distinct reforms of labour market policies and carried out a critical discourse analysis of the relevant public and academic discourse of economists. We find that the paradigm shift in economic thought was accompanied by a shift in economists' discourses on labour market policy issues.

Suggested Citation

  • Pühringer, Stephan & Griesser, Markus, 2017. "From the "planning euphoria" to the "bitter economic truth": The transmission of economic ideas into German labour market policies in the 1960s and 2000s," Working Paper Series Ök-30, Cusanus Hochschule für Gesellschaftsgestaltung, Institut für Ökonomie.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:cuswps:oek30
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    Cited by:

    1. Stephan Puehringer & Karl Beyer, 2020. "Who are the economists Germany listens to?," ICAE Working Papers 103, Johannes Kepler University, Institute for Comprehensive Analysis of the Economy.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    critical discourse analysis; political power of economic ideas; labour market policy reforms; economic expert discourse;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A11 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Role of Economics; Role of Economists
    • B21 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought since 1925 - - - Microeconomics
    • B22 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought since 1925 - - - Macroeconomics
    • B52 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Current Heterodox Approaches - - - Historical; Institutional; Evolutionary; Modern Monetary Theory;
    • J53 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Labor-Management Relations; Industrial Jurisprudence
    • J41 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Labor Contracts
    • J88 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards - - - Public Policy

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