Die ökonomischen Potentiale kultureller Vielfalt

Abstract

"The demographic structures of large German cities are marked by relatively high shares of foreigners. One fifth of Germany's total foreign population is located in its six biggest cities; however, only one tenth of the whole population of Germany lives in those cities. The article highlights the economic potential of cultural diversity for the economic development of cities, in general, and of the biggest German cities, in particular. Economic potential of cultural diversity basically goes back to two aspects. Firstly, people originating from different cultural backgrounds can be complementary in producing goods and services, as they have specific abilities, knowledge and experience. Secondly, cultural diversity widens the pool of ideas, which has a positive impact on innovation processes. Additionally, cultural diversity indirectly influences urban attractiveness, as it is an indicator of the openness of a society. This is an important factor for cities in successfully attracting qualified people from abroad. The analysis reveals that the importance of foreigners for economic success as well as the use of the economic potential that cultural diversity brings differs strongly between German cities. All cities should implement policies supporting the economic potential of cultural diversity since the internationalisation of labour markets is an unavoidable trend relevant for economic development. There are innovative regional integration policies in German cities that can serve as examples for respective approaches." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Damelang, A., Steinhardt, M. & Stiller, S. (2010): Die ökonomischen Potentiale kultureller Vielfalt. Eine Standortbestimmung deutscher Großstädte. In: Sozialer Fortschritt, Vol. 59, No. 1, p. 7-16. DOI:10.3790/sfo.59.1.7