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Subject
Germany's east-west divide.
Significance
Since reunification the social and economic gap between eastern and western states has narrowed but significant disparities persist. These disparities have exacerbated a growing political divide in recent years, with every third voter in more than one-third of eastern municipalities voting for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in last year’s state elections.
Impacts
The rural and working-age population in most eastern regions is on course to decline sharply over the coming decades.
The skills shortage in the east is unlikely to be alleviated by migration as anti-immigration sentiment persists.
If the next CDU leader pursues the liberal course adopted by Merkel, more eastern CDU members will likely join the AfD.
Keywords:
Germany,
EUR,
economy,
industry,
politics,
social,
fiscal,
government,
party,
policy,
population,
regional,
corporate,
education,
election,
employment,
growth,
immigration,
services
© Oxford Analytica 2020. All rights reserved. This content contains general information about geopolitical, macroeconomic and social developments or (where stated) other matters. It does not contain advice or recommendations that may be relied on. Where links to external websites are provided, this does not indicate that Oxford Analytica or Emerald agree with, endorse or have checked for accuracy the contents of said sites.
2020
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