Christian Odendahl‏  v twitterstormu na podlagi svojega članka razloži, v kolikšni meri so reforme nemškega trga dela in v kolikšni meri drugi dejavniki prispeval k nemški hitri rasti po 2004 ter seveda ali je ta “čudež” mogoče ponoviti z enakimi reformami trga dela drugje.

1/15 What if any lessons should rest of Europe draw from #Germany‘s ‘Hartz’ labour market reforms? Quick tweetstorm of my latest CER piece.

2/15 First lesson: timing is everything. #Germany‘s reforms were phenomenally timed, for four reasons. Emerging economies entered a boom;

3/15 decline in construction sector in #Germany had just bottomed out; German businesses had finished a deep restructuring to be fit for

4/15 globalised economy; and German #unions had practiced 10 yrs of wage restraint and flexibility to meet challenges of #globalisation

5/15 Not every country that embarks on similar reforms like #Germany will have these factors playing in its favour.

6/15 Second lesson: the right diagnosis is crucial. #Germany did have problems with its labour market, so part of diagnosis was correct.

7/15 But “labour market only” diagnosis missed Germany’s macroeconomic situation, which could have backfired (but didn’t, see lessons 1).

8/15 Third, there are smarter ways to reform labour market in a slump: cut taxes on wages & invest in training first, deregulate second.

9/15 Fourth, tackle the social hardship of reforms right from the start (eg min wage), not just to build political support.

10/15 Fifth, more flexible labour markets do little if anything to boost #productivity – which is what ultimately matters for living stds.

11/15 #Germany failed to complement its labour market reforms with a productivity agenda for those affected most by reforms. To this day.

12/15 Sixth, unions & works councils that were willing to accommodate themselves to change were crucial for GER adaptation to globalisation.

13/15 But #unions should be strong enough to demand appropriate wage increases, not just in the highly organised #manufacturing sector.

14/15 After all, there is a reason why #Sweden has a low-wage sector of 2.5% and #Germany one of 23%. Germany’s needs Agenda for these 23%.

15/15 If you’re interested in the full read “The Hartz Myth — A closer look at Germany’s labour market reforms“