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Economic Survey of Germany, 2006 - Videoconference - Presentation: Eckhard Wurzel Senior Economist, OECD Economics Department Discussant: Jackson Janes Executive Director, AICGS

The event took place on Tuesday, July 11, 2006
OECD Washington Center
2001 L Street, NW Suite 650
9:00-10:00 AM Presentation, 8:30 AM Registration

Event Description:

German economic performance continues to be marked by strong exports, reflecting a multi-year trend of improvement of external competitiveness dogged by weak domestic demand.  However, the German economy appears to be in a position where it could realize a shift from one where demand tended to undershoot supply to more expansionary supply conditions, resulting in improved growth prospects.  The challenge in this context is to make improvements in a variety of areas (e.g. long-term growth, job creation, public finance sustainability) while simultaneously preserving genuine short-term recovery.  A well-integrated strategy is necessary.

At this presentation, Dr. Wurzel will present the findings of the 2006 Economic Survey of Germany.  He will discuss the strategies needed to raise German economic performance, the further reforms needed in the labor market to increase employment, and the need to make regulation of domestic markets more competition friendly.  Dr. Janes will add commentary on the prospects for the future, as well as commenting on the economic linkages between the US and Germany.

Biographies:

Eckhard Wurzel is Senior Economist in the OECD Economics Department. His recent responsibilities included the analysis of German economic policies, the preparation of the OECD Economic Reports on Germany, and the assessment of Germany’s economic outlook. He has contributed to various OECD studies on fiscal themes and the economic integration of the eastern German states. Eckhard Wurzel received his doctoral degree from the University of Bonn. Earlier assignments include econometric research on labor market dynamics at the University of Bonn and the London School of Economics, macro-economic policy analysis at the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs, and lecturing of macroeconomic theory and policy.

Jackson Janes is the Executive Director of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies at the Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC. He has been engaged in German-American and European affairs for more than three decades. Dr. Janes has lectured throughout Germany and the United States and has published articles and op-ed pieces on topics dealing with Germany, German-American relations and transatlantic affairs. Dr. Janes holds Master of Arts from the Divinity School at the University of Chicago (1971), and a Doctorate in International Relations from the Claremont Graduate School, Claremont, California (1981.)