Werkstatt der deutschen Einheit?

Abstract

"There probably exists no other region in Europe combining the development potential and the effects from the bipolar world order that characterize Berlin-Brandenburg. With German reunification two different and separate regions are growing together to form an economic area with 4.5 million inhabitants. Due to its status as an enclave the western part of Berlin was falling behind other western urban conurbations. The eastern part of Berlin, in contrast, has been marked by its role as bureaucratic centre under socialism. The Brandenbrug region was one of the weakest regions in the former GDR. Reunification resulted in a short-time rise in demand for West Berlin products while the eastern part of the city and Brandenburg experienced a rapid reduction in production and employment. In eastern Berlin production based on services and construction recovered quickly, but employment is still falling. The intensified structural change is leading to a decline in industrial production in Berlin as a whole. In spite of the considerable expansion in the service sector, employment has been continuously falling since 1992. In Brandenburg the decline in employment finally came to a halt at the end of 1993. Especially the areas south and west of Berlin are benefiting from the expansion of the economic area, while east Brandenburg and the region close to the river Oder are still experiencing a decrease in employment. Unemployment rates in greater Berlin and peripheral regions differ accordingly. Given the development gap and the increasing competition between regions the prospects for a fundamental reduction in unemployment in the Berlin-Brandenburg region do not look promising." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Bogai, D. (1996): Werkstatt der deutschen Einheit? Wirtschaft und Arbeitsmarkt in der Region Berlin-Brandenburg. (Europäisches Institut für Internationale Wirtschaftsbeziehungen. Diskussionsbeitrag 18), Potsdam, 9 p.